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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 (above) Common Birdsnest fungus Crucibulum leave (right)

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

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 (above) Orange Birch Bolete Leccinum versipelle (right)

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.

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

Species list