Ergot Fungus

Ergot fungus, Claviceps purpurea, growing on a grass seed-head.

Photo taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-07-20.

Yellow Fungus on Grass

A yellow growth on a grass stem, probaby the fungus Epichloe typhina.

Photo taken in the field below Chazey Wood, near Caversham, UK, on 2014-08-09.

Leaf Spot Fungus

A leaf from a lime tree (Tilia sp) with pale spots.  The above photo shows that upper surface of the leaf, below is the lower surface:

Under the microscope the pale parts are revealed to be masses of fungal hyphae:

I have not (yet) been able to identify the fungus.

Specimen in first 2 photos taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-05-03, that in the 3rd photo taken in the same place on 2014-05-12.

Leaf-Spot Fungus

Light-brown spots on leaves of Arum maculatum, probably caused by the fungus Spermosporina aricola.

I took the following leaf home with me to look at more closely:

This is a close-up of the spots on the upper surface:.

And this is the lower surface:

Unfortunately I was unable to get any spores from them.

First photo and specimen taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK, on 2014-04-05.

Brown Crust Fungus

A brown crust fungus, probably an immature specimen of Hypoxylon petriniae, growing on a fallen ash branch (Fraxinus excelsior).  The lack of any obvious ostioles is what makes me think this is an immature specimen. I used a razor blade to reveal the perithecia in one corner.  These seemed to relatively small and poorly developed:

Last month I came across what I think was a mature specimen of the same species growing on the same ash branch.  I still had that specimen so I took another look at it, this time through my new stereo microscope with camera. The following image clearly shows the light spots surrounding the ostioles on that specimen:

Close up the ostioles are obvious:

Again I used a razor blade to scrape of the surface to reveal the perithecia.  These are clearly larger than those in the immature specimen above:

Both specimens taken in Whiteknights Park, Reading, UK; the immature one on 2014-03-15, the mature one on 2014-02-09.