On 14th November 2021 Jo Prowse and Wendy Berrington went on a Fungal Foray to the woods at Bolton Abbey and then up Black Hill towards Embsay.

     In the woods looking among dead and rotting branches and fallen leaves we found Jelly ear, Auricularia. We looked at two types of slime mold, one orange and one yellow, then Bisporella citrina which is a disco fungus. 

There was sulphur tuft mushroom, also called clustered woodlover, Hypholoma fasciculare, in large groups. There was a lovely group of Macrocystidia cucumis, cucumber cap which Jo was convinced smelt of Cucumber. I was not so sure!

Hypholoma fasciculare
Sulphur Tuft: Hypholoma fasciculare
Macrocystidia cucumis
Cucumber Caps: Macrocystidia cucumis

We spotted Cortinarius or deadly webcap mushroom, and Mycena epipterygia, yellow legged bonnet mushroom with greenish-yellow stems; and many other types of Fungi.       The Clitocybe nebularis – cloud funnel was easy to spot!

Mycena epipterygia
Yellow Legged Bonnet: Mycena epipterygia
Clitocybe nebularis
Cloud Funnel: Clitocybe nebularis

The bonnet cap with a pin mold on it – Mycena with Spinellus fusiger, stood out dramatically, dripping with dew and looking other worldly.

Mycena with spinellus fusiger
Bonnet Cap with Pin Mold: Mycena with spinellus fusiger

Up on Black Park Jo was looking for different families of Fungi.  There were small groups of brightly coloured, cream, orange, straw, tawny Waxcaps. We found many meadow waxcaps: Cuphophyllus pratensis; and Scarlet Waxcap, Hygrocybe coccinea and Entolomas which are hard to identify to species

Cuphophyllus pratensis
Meadow Waxcap: Cuphophyllus pratensis
Hygrocybe coccinea
Scarlet Waxcap: Hygrocybe coccinea
Entoloma
Entoloma

Wendy Berrington