Drumboe fungi

At the Drumboe car park, I noticed some Honey Fungus - Armillaria mellea - on an old stump:


A close inspection revealed a very small (4mm) Ichneumonid exploring the older specimens:


This is no surprise, since most fungi are eaten by fly larvae, and a quick inspection revealed the target:

This parasitisation of fly larvae in mushrooms reveals a stunning synchronisation of the 3 species: the fly larvae are only present for a short time each year - during the fungal season - and each mushroom specimen will only last for a small number of days. Meanwhile, the fly larvae must grow from egg to pupation very quickly (showing that fungi must be an excellent food source), so the Ichneumonid has only a very short window of opportunity to find a suitable larva and lay her eggs.

Honey Fungus is known to be an aggressive decomposer of dead wood, and its presence is often revealed by the presence of black 'bootlaces' on old stumps:


One of my favourite fungi is the minute Marasmius hudsonii, which only grows on old, black, Holly leaves:

Despite the fact that the whole fungus is only perhaps 20mm tall, microscopic examination of the tiny cap shows that it is covered in spikes:

I cannot fathom any reason for a minute fungal cap to be ornamented in this way. (Notice that the stipe also has spines).


A single specimen of Wood Blewitt - Lepista nuda - shone purple through the orange Beech leaves:
Edible, but I don't like the over-perfumed taste.

Drumboe fungi

Drumboe is that rarest of things...an urban ancient woodland. Native trees 200 years old rub shoulders with introduced species of all kinds on the banks of the river Finn a mere 100 metres away from a bustling town centre. It's a little more 'managed' than I'd like, but it's still a wonderful place to visit for fungi at this time of year.

This young Fly Agaric - Amanita muscaria - has only just surfaced, and already it has been nibbled:


The remains of a Stinkhorn - Phallus impudicus - after the dark brown spore mass has been removed by flies:


An Earthball - Scleroderma citrinum:


Mycena pura, which smells 'raphanoid' - strongly of raw potatoes or radishes:


A single specimen of Chanterelle - Cantharellus cibarius - was confirmed immediately by the appearance of the thick, forked, gills:

Sadly, a single specimen isn't enough to eat, but the perfume now lingers in my study.

At first I thought these might be Jelly Baby - Leotia lubrica - but the stipe is wide and creamy-opaque (see top specimen). So they will go down as Cortinarius sp.


A batch of Honey Fungus - Armillaria mellea - suggests buried dead wood at this spot.

Drumboe opportunity

After an utterly miserable summer and an extremely short autumn, we appear to be in winter, having already had lying snow.

I managed a trip to Drumboe Wood during a brief period of sunshine. 15 minutes after these shots were taken I was soaked to the skin.

Drumboe is an ancient urban woodland. The main thoroughfare through the town is no more than 150m from this point. The River Finn can just be seen in the distance.

This little slug was wandering across a fallen beech leaf. I'm not sure if the orange colouring on the slug is caused by reflected or transmitted light.

The Honey Fungus, Armillaria mellea:

The strange pearlescent cap to this Tricholoma makes me think it's Tricholoma columbetta:

The minute (5 micron) spores check ok:

Colourful Mushrooms

Just for the record, we have had 4 days without rain since the start of May.

A trip to Mullaghagarry wood usually produces a decent crop of fungi. First up is Suillus grevillei - a Larch associate.


Mycenas are generally small and delicate. This is Mycena meliigena, which is always found growing in moss on tree trunks, and is usually away from the ground. Cap is rarely more than 10mm across.


Another tree-moss Mycena is Mycena epipterygia. This is unusual in that it has a very robust stipe which is difficult to break.


One of the Honey Fungus complex: Armillaria mellea.


Possibly one of the most recognisable of fungi - the Amethyst Deceiver - Laccaria amethystina. The moss is the beautiful Thiudium tamariscinum.