Hamadryads fungus diary

[bobby]

Hamadryad/Monkey D and others

 

I went for an interview with an environmental consultantcy firm this morning for a surveying/inspection job which involved a decay fungi ident test.

Having been a groundie/climber for a few years I have seen my fair share of decay fungi and its effects but there are alot that I have never encountered. Im sure youll agree that tree pathology is a subject best mastered through first hand observation and seeing things in the flesh but for the sake of the interview I had to familiarise myself with appearance and significance of many species that I dont know (S.crispa/R.ulmarius/G.lucidum for example- before last weekend I wouldnt have had a clue).

A few 'obscure' species came up in the test but I breezed it. How? well I resisted the lure of Bolton Beer Festival this weekend and stayed in, trawling through threads such as this and 'Tis the season..' and the directory and I learned a massive amount.

 

Anyway if it turns out I get offered the job I owe you both a pint. I love your enthusiasm and dedication to spending time sharing your expeiences with the rest of us. You should get a book together, Id buy it.

 

Bit of a long winded way of saying thanks.

[David Humphries]

It's Hamas thread, and I'm sure he'll reply himself, but from my perspective, reading your post is realy what makes the effort worth the time.

 

Thanks for that.

 

Good luck with getting the job.

 

All the best Bobby

 

 

D

 

 

.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Hamadryad/Monkey D and others

 

I went for an interview with an environmental consultantcy firm this morning for a surveying/inspection job which involved a decay fungi ident test.

Having been a groundie/climber for a few years I have seen my fair share of decay fungi and its effects but there are alot that I have never encountered. Im sure youll agree that tree pathology is a subject best mastered through first hand observation and seeing things in the flesh but for the sake of the interview I had to familiarise myself with appearance and significance of many species that I dont know (S.crispa/R.ulmarius/G.lucidum for example- before last weekend I wouldnt have had a clue).

A few 'obscure' species came up in the test but I breezed it. How? well I resisted the lure of Bolton Beer Festival this weekend and stayed in, trawling through threads such as this and 'Tis the season..' and the directory and I learned a massive amount.

 

Anyway if it turns out I get offered the job I owe you both a pint. I love your enthusiasm and dedication to spending time sharing your expeiences with the rest of us. You should get a book together, Id buy it.

 

Bit of a long winded way of saying thanks.

 

I accept the offer of a pint, as and when the oportunity arrives:thumbup:

 

Thanks for the comments, as David says, its really what you lot get out of it that make it worth the effort and time, good luck with the job, im jelous:001_smile:

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Orange !

 

Someones stuck some candy floss up there

Do you think it is associated with the core of that old branch occlusion above it?Hope the frost doesn't affect it's developement.

 

Are you going to take spore to other sites?

 

Ive got big plans on this one, fruits reliably and for three seasons now!

 

The fruit is coming through via an old stub/abscission wound, like the one above, and the one below it that is the exit/entry to an active bee colony:thumbup1:

 

The entire woody volume right up into the major limbs has been decayed to some level, there are some large lumps inside the cavity, but i suspect these are decayed and fallen rather than semi remaining colomns. I suspect the entire tree is being colonised from within, that the mycelium is within all the ripewood and fruiting where it has exit oportunities via abscission wounds.

 

Ive waited a long time for an oportunity to study intimatley the workings and habitat of this one, watch what comes from this:001_cool:

[Xerxses]

True inspiration Hama! Great project you are entering... keep it posted I will follow this one... Having trouble with my computer, cant fit anymore pics on it... cant upload pics yet from the foray! That little bugger is looking great!

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

True inspiration Hama! Great project you are entering... keep it posted I will follow this one... Having trouble with my computer, cant fit anymore pics on it... cant upload pics yet from the foray! That little bugger is looking great!

 

here you go xerxses, master class in Kretschmaria!

 

The first images are of the Bjerkandera adusta that would be easily confused with the anamorph of K. deusta, and the third image is the Kretschmaria anamorphs and fruit bodies propper:thumbup1:

 

Bjerkandera in its early stages is very similar to the anamorph of kretschmaria, but unlike the soft rotting K. deusta (brittle stone like decay that renders the tree stiff but not strong and brittle like the biscuit as Claus would say!)

 

The Bjerkandera adusta is a white rotter, and a cambium destroyer able to break down the highly suberised bark, this fungus is a particulary strong coloniser of Ailanthus altissima, the tree of heaven, and probly spelt that wrong!

 

 

 

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Went back down to cutters place for anothe look at the H. erinaceus, and my word what a beauty she is becoming, also found a suspected Phelinus robustus on a lovely old burred Oak, several fruit bodies present and one taken for confirmation at kew so will keep you posted on that.

 

If acurate this site just went from cool to intergalactic overdrive on the importance scale! Im going to survey the old growth with cutter in the winter months and do some hardcore data gathering, this site is going to be my baby for the forseable future, a project that me and ben can realy get into and produce something exciting and better still BRAND NEW!

 

 

[David Humphries]

That erinaceus is at it's beautiful prime, fine shots, thanks for putting them up T.

 

robustus will be a great find if/when confirmed, & a first for Kent.

 

Is it an old or new bracket?

 

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[Ben Ballard]

great photo tony:thumbup1: now thats cool if the bracket today was a robustus and first for kent

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

That erinaceus is at it's beautiful prime, fine shots, thanks for putting them up T.

 

robustus will be a great find if/when confirmed, & a first for Kent.

 

Is it an old or new bracket?

 

.

 

They is mostly old brackets, and tiny mostly, but there is one that is quiet fresh looking and considerably bigger, maybe the fungi has penetrated a barrier and gained accses to more wood again? dunno yet.

 

it has robustus written on it:001_cool: tough as granite, was a job to remove one I can tell you!