Down the Lane 04/08/2017

Had a quick walk down the lane yesterday afternoon, looking at leaves and plants on the way but I'll start with a couple of fungi.

I've seen this one down the lane several times before, but usually just one or two - yesterday there were at least 20 growing on the shady side underneath the hedgerow.

Shaggy Parasol - not yet ready to open up into a parasol.

This one is different though, some sort off puffball but I think I'll need to see how it develops before I can try and ID it. Looks like it will be quite big though .....

'puffball'

I also found a garden-escape that I've not seen down the lane before, some sort of Monbretia - quite a bit paler and yellower than my garden variety.

Garish amongst the grasses and nettles.

I found a few beetles and bugs, including loads of Altica lythri and Dicyphus epilobii on Great Willowherb, Lochmaea crataegi and Daerocoris ruber.

Searching plants produced a number of galls that I need to work through, and a number of mines on hawthorn. I think I've worked them out but I'm awaiting comments from others before posting. Meanwhile checking any Prickly Lettuce plant produced Small Ranunculus larvae, some quite big now so I collected a couple to rear through.

And remember that Comma caterpillar I found, it unexpectedly pupated so I'll need to find a way to hang it up in a suitable location. But how does nature produce bling like the shining silvery panels on the chrysalis!

Square Fungi

Managed a quick foray into my home 1k square on Sunday morning, mainly looking for fungi. I headed straight down to a scrubby track at the back of fields where I knew there was a decent pile of felled tree trunks and branches, and sure enough I scored with some nice additions to the square list.

Small Stagshorn

Brown Cup

Common Eyelash

Candlesnuff

Also a few that I've already recorded this year, like Jelly Ear, Cramp Balls, Velvet Shank and these:

Crystal Brain

Shaggy Parasol

Fungaling?

Actively looking for birds = birding
Actively looking for moths = mothing
Actively looking for anything fungal = fungaling?

Of course, looking for and identifying are not one and the same thing as far as me and fungi are concerned, so here's a collection of attempted IDs and pleas for help, starting off with two leaf rust type fungi.

I think this is Violet Bramble Rust (Phragmidium violaceum) - front and back of the same leaf.

All of the local Elm in the hedgerow has these raised black spots on the leaves. Web searches haven't helped so far (although there is something called Elm Black Spot, though it does not appear to be a UK species). Any idea what it is?

Found this down the lane - I think it's a developing Shaggy Parasol (Chlorophyllum rhacodes).

This one is from Enderby - Peziza repanda I think.

The following are all as yet unidentified - any ideas? Thanks to Steve Gale for identification suggestions for the following two which match other images and descriptions:

These are all varying stages of Glistening Inkcap Coprinus micaceus

Pleated Inkcap Coprinellus plicatilis

I've checked further on these and think I've now got them sussed.

I'm convinced this is an aged Verdigris Toadstool Stropharia aeruginosa.
In particular see here for a very similar specimen.

Pretty sure this is Velvet Shank Flammulina velutipes.

The following are still unidentified:

Big - c4inches across

Very big - c8inches across

Originally thought this was a developing Wood Blewit but really not convinced.

Finally, something non-fungal ..

Red Pustule Gall Mite (Aceria aceriscampestris) on maple

Post edited 28/11/2011