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Fungus Foray, Gilling Lakes 1st October 2016

led by Rhona Sutherland

Species lists below


After a beautiful sunny morning, eight of us met at Gilling Lakes at 2pm and it started to rain! We waited a while under an Oak tree, but then set off anyway and it slowly improved. We wanted to concentrate on two areas. One was mainly Beech, but with a few large Scots pine trees, as well as Oak, Birch and a few Willows, on the eastern shore of the lowest lake. The second area is a little way up the track to the east and is a more open area of Larch and heath. There were so many fungi in the first area that it was two hours later before we realised we would have to nip smartish up to the other site. Unfortunately, two of us had to leave before the CAKE! But thanks to all those who came and especially to those who brought a cake.

Ryenats members enjoying cake


Ryenats members enjoying cake (above)
Common Birdsnest fungus Crucibulum leave (right)

Common birdsnest fungus Crucibulum leave


Before we really got going we went to see 3 good fungi just by the gate into woods on the bend in the road. The first was the tiny Common Birds Nest fungus - Crucibulum leave, growing on the fence. Then there was a red disc on a wet log in the ditch, which turned out to be an old Common Eyelash - Scutellinia scutellata. The third, Grifola frondosa - Hen of the Woods, is a soft polyporous fungus that grows in circular tiers from a common branching stem at the base of trees and was one I have never actually found before.

Hen of the Woods  Grifola frondosa
Hen of the Woods Grifola frondosa


We then carried on to the first area along the side of the lake where we saw lots of Russulas – the brittle gilled fungi. The bright red R. nobilis – The Beech Sickener, and R. fellea - the Geranium Russula (said to smell of Geraniums) are particularly associated with Beech. Then around the Scots pine trees there were the dark red R. sardonia with their red flushed stipes, whose gills turn pink if you put ammonia on them, but also R. caerulea – the Hump backed Russula which is also dark red but has a pure white stem, a little pimple in the centre of its cap, and whose gills do NOT turn red with ammonia.


There were 6 species of Lactarius – the Milk caps, which release various coloured “milks” when the gills are broken. The cooked liver coloured L. blennius, the brownish pink zoned L. quietus with its white milk that turns yellowish on a handkerchief and smells of Bed bugs?!, and the bright orange and green L. deliciousus, with its orange, unchanging milk, are all associated with Beech. The smooth orange brown L. tabidus makes a white milk which turns yellow too, but is generally more associated with Birch, as is the brownish mauve L. glyciosmus with its cream coloured milk and smell of coconut. The Ugly Milkcap L. turpis, is intriguing for being blackish green and slimy when wet and turning instantly purple if you put potassium hydroxide on it (as we also saw last year in Sleightholmedale).


We saw 5 species of Amanita. These are instantly recognisable by their white free gills, universal veil which is sometimes volvate (sac like) at the base and there is sometimes a ring around the stem. There were several Boletes with pores underneath but we only identified a few. The most striking of which was the Orange Birch Bolete Leccinum versipelle shown below/

False deathcap Amanita citrina


False deathcap Amanita citrina (above)
Orange Birch Bolete Leccinum versipelle (right)

Orange birch bolete Leccinum versipelle


The most intriguing find of the day was a large funnel shaped polypore bracket fungus with several tiers growing out of an old Pine stump. It was obviously an old dried out specimen but had a thick blackish purple stipe, a concentrically zoned dark brown black and orangeish felty cap, and blackish purple labyrinthine pores, that extended slightly down the stipe. When cut, the flesh was dark orange and brown, and went black with KOH (potassium hydroxide). All indications of Dyer’s Mazegill Phaeolus schweinitzii. Very exciting!

Dyer's Mazegill  Phaeolus schweinitzii


Dyer’s Mazegill Phaeolus schweinitzii.

Dyer's Mazegill  Phaeolus schweinitzii


I am sure we barely scratched the surface of fungi present in Gilling Woods but that’s what keeps us looking.


Species list

Common NameLatin Name
False DeathcapAmanita citrina
Grey spotted amanitaAmanita excelsa var. spissa
Tawny GrisetteAmanita fulva
Fly AgaricAmanita muscaria
BlusherAmanita rubescens
Club FootAmpulloclitocybe clavipes
Bay BoleteBoletus badius
CepBoletus edulis
Scarletina BoleteBoletus luridiformis
Lurid BoleteBoletus luridus
Small StagshornCalocera cornea
Yellow StagshornCalocera viscosa
Trumpet ChanterelleCantharellus tubaeformis
Crested CoralClavulina coralloides
Common Bird's NestCrucibulum laeve
Blushing BracketDaedaleopsis confragosa
Hoof Fungus / Tinder BracketFomes fomentarius
Artist's BracketGanoderma applanatum
Hen of the WoodsGrifola frondosa
Clustered ToughshankGymnopus confluens
White saddleHelvella crispa
Wood HedgehogHydnum repandum
Sulphur TuftHypholoma fasciculare
Amethyst DeceiverLaccaria amethystina
DeceiverLaccaria laccata
Beech MilkcapLactarius blennius
Saffron MilkcapLactarius deliciosus
Oak MilkcapLactarius quietus
Coconut MilkcapLactarius glyciosmus
Rufous MilkcapLactarius rufus
Birch MilkcapLactarius tabidus
Ugly MilkcapLactarius turpis
Brown Birch BoleteLeccinum scabrum
Orange Birch BoleteLeccinum versipelle
Dusky PuffballLycoperdon nigrescens
Milking BonnetMycena galopus
Dyer's MazegillPhaeolus schweinitzii
Birch PolyporePiptoporus betulinus
Crimped gillPlicaturopsis crispa
Pale BrittlestemPsathyrella candolleana
Birch BrittlegillRussula betularum
Humpback BrittlegillRussula caerulea
Crowded BrittlegillRussula densifolia
Geranium BrittlegillRussula fellea
Blackening BrittlegillRussula nigricans
Beechwood SickenerRussula nobilis
Ochre BrittlegillRussula ochroleuca
Primrose BrittlegillRussula sardonia
Common EarthballScleroderma citrinum
Common EyelashScutellinia scutellata
Hairy Curtain CrustStereum hirsutum
Bovine BoleteSuillus bovinus
Larch BoleteSuillus grevillei
TurkeytailTrametes versicolor


© Ryedale Natural History Society 2016, Photos © Keith Gittens, John Sutherland, 2016 Back to the Home page