Fungus

Definitely an ectomycorrhizal Ramaria species associated with beech, but to identify the exact species, you need a microscope.

Giles, Chalara fraxinea has killed ten thousands of ashes in less then 10 years in Scandinavia, Poland, Germany (Rügen) and recently in The Netherlands, where it only is present since 2009 and has spread all over the country in 2 years time, so if the pathogen has now reached the U.K. too, it should be identified, documented and reported to the concerning phytopathological experts and authorities.

The first handheld Ramaria looks like one of the ectomycorrhizal Ramaria species associated with beech. The one at the side of a trunk and the last pale one look like R. stricta. And the others, especially those under conifers, could be the saprotrophic R. abietina (= R. ochraceovirens) and/or R. eumorpha (= R. invalii).

Without the following information and from a picture alone, there's no identification possible, so : 1/2. Saprotrophic on the wood chips or ectomycorrhizal symbiont of (what) tree species ? Spore colour ? 3. Saprotrophic in grass or symbiotic with (what) trees ? Spore colour ? 4. Russula species, associated with what tree species ? Birch ? 5. Associated with beech (or oak) and with white spores ? If so, possibly Tricholoma ustale or T. ustaloides.

As the saprotrophic Ramaria stricta probably is a ectomycorrhizal Ramaria species, what tree species were in its vicinity ?

Tony, Not just S. grevillei, but in The Netherlands and Central Europe also the tree species specific Boletinus cavipes and Gomphidius maculatus, and a small number of coniferous tree species specific Russula and Lactarius species.

Giles, Any other signs or symptoms, such as bark necrosis or anamorphs, of Chalara fraxinea ?

1. No, there is no effective treatment possible, although there are cases documented, where healthy indigenous pine trees lead their roots in the direction of and made contact with intact roots of recently cut pine stumps to "help" speeding up closing of the wound by the uptake and transport of nutrients from the soil before the stump was infected with spores or mycelia of parasitic brown rotters, such as P. schweinitzii or Sparassis crispa, or white rotters, such as Heterobasidion annosum, which would otherwise because of fused root systems threaten to damage the healthy trees too. 2. As I have no experience with the interaction of P. schweintzii and the originally northwest American Sitka spruce and do not know how well or poorly developed the tree species specific ecosystem (ectomycorrhizae) of Picea sitchensis is compared to that of the endemic P. abies, I can only indirectly answer your question by referring to the interaction between P. schweinitzii (or Sparassis crispa) and Douglas. In the U.S., Pseudotsuga menziesii can associate with hundreds of generalistic and/or species specific ectomycorrhizal macrofungi, but in Europe it only can associate with a few generalistic ectomycorrhizal symbionts, which makes Douglas extremely vulnerable for endemic European parasitic macrofungi, as the before mentioned species of bracket fungi and parasitic Armillaria species, because of the lack of a well-developed root defense system. In The Netherlands, P. menziesii doesn't get older then 100 years and in storms entire forest plots of Douglas or lanes are windthrown every year.

1. Yes, they both are. 2. P. schweinitzii is an annual necrotrophic parasitic bracket fungus, which causes an intensive and often fast spreading dry brown rot in the major roots, butts/buttresses and/or the trunk base of coniferous tree species. The tree becomes vulnerable for windthrow and the falling of the tree sometimes takes place before FB's have been produced, because the mycelium can switch to brown rotting the remaining wood as a saprotrophic once the tree is dead. Because of the fruiting with two well-developed annual FB's from dead wood, in this case, I would expect that the mycelium has already "jumped" to the roots of close by standing trees with root-root contact with the affected trees. Also see my album on Phaeolus schweinitzii & Sparassis crispa.

Then it probably is a FB of a young and still developing annual or perennial bracket fungus, so follow it and let us know (photo) what it looks like in a few weeks.

1. Bedeguar gall (gall wasp Diplolepsis rosae). 2. Coprinus disseminatus with C. atramentarius in the background. 3. Coprinus disseminatus. 4. Agaricus species. Turning yellow when bruised and with smell of aniseed ?

Hard to say from a photo alone. What was the white stuff like, frotty fluid, tough and hard to press in, or sticky like resin ? And the reddish brown material : bark fibers or remnants of fungal origin (ozonium) ?

A Ganoderma, probably G. lipsiense.

1. I'm 90 % sure this is Ganoderma lipsiense. 2. Probably Psathyrella hydrophila.

David, No, just saw them (there were a lot running around) at 20 x magnification and it could just as well be a tick, which also is a member of the mite family.

Once one takes a look at details of fungi through a digital microscope with 20-80-350 x magnification, one sees all kinds of larvae and insects using the fungus for food supply or as a nursery or hunting ground, such as a mite (photo 1) on the pores and a larva (photo 2) coming out of a tube of Coriolopsis trogii. ---

1. Yes, I would like to close this thread and prefer questions asked in my Q&A thread, because that is where people expect to find answers on fungal questions. 2. What tree species, coniferous ? Please upload again under Q & A for your answer to my question. The white club fungus in the third photo is Clavaria vermicularis, the orange-yellow species in the first two photo's is Mycena acicula and the last photo shows a short-stalked yellow myxomycete, maybe a Trichia species. And the next post shows Paxillus involutus .

Because : (1) a less vital or terminally ill oak with diminishing foliage and photosynthesis only produces enough energy to form 30 % fertile seeds, and (2) lacks tree species specific ectomycorrhizal macrofungi, such as Russula and Lactarius species, that support the fruiting of the tree by uptaking nitrogen and phosphorus - essential for (re)production of DNA - and transport it to the tree roots, which makes "normal" yearly blossoming and fruiting possible, and that is why (3) a mast year is a sign of wealth, and panic fruiting is a symptom of poverty.

Sloth, You can also have a look at my Fistulina hepatica album.

Stephen & Tommer, Fertile acorns are firm and robust. They have well developed kernels with an energy storage sufficient for five years of growth of the seedling after germinating. Sterile acorns are smaller, easy to push in, don't have a well developed kernel and mostly look as "shabby" as the ones in the photo. ---

Tommer, Did you check which percentage of the acorns was fertile or sterile ? Fertile 70 % ==> mast year, sterile 70 % ==> panic fruiting.

In its natural habitat, Douglas can associate with hundreds of generalistic and/or tree species specific ectomycorrhizal macrofungi.

Tobias, Hiding my identity on this forum would be a bit unrealistic. As far as revealing my address is concerned, neither would I, so I didn't ask for your "safe house" address, only the region would have been enough .

David, No, I "revive" them, just as thin sliced and dried Boletus edulis, in good quality olive oil and then sometimes mix them with in the same olive oil fried onions and champignons before they become an ingredient of a risotto or a soup of dehydrated and pulverized forest fungi and a Boletus edulis chutney.

I fully understand , as I have always had the luxury of having the first and all the next prototypes of the resistograph in the boot of my car without having to finance them myself .