Fungus

Documentation of G. australe on very old Abies alba. ---

.

Tony, Great pictures , very well documented to support your hypothesis on the interaction of F. hepatica and Q. robur. All the more reason to come to the U.K. to have a look at your veteran oaks with F. hepatica, I. dryadeus and C. fusipes myself.

Tony, This is what I. nodulosus normally looks like when it is fruiting on the side of horizontal trunks on the forestfloor or on the vertical saw cut surface of old beeches. I've never seen it fruit on branches or trunks of living, still standing beeches. ---

in the form of so called "Astkriecher", resupinate fruiting on the lower side and in the "armpits" of branches or bifurcated trunks, causing a intensive simultaneous white rot, which makes the branches or crown vulnerable for breaking.

in the form of so called "Astkriecher", resupinate fruiting on the lower side and in the "armpits" of branches, causing a intensive simultaneous white rot, which makes the branches vulnerable for breaking.

Welcome, Any questions on forest ecology, the soil food web, tree species specific ecosystems and the role macrofungi play in the (succession of fungal species in the) life cycle of trees, ask away. You could also first scan my posts, threads and album under Fungus : Show all statistics, to see if there already has been given an answer to your possible questions on these subjects.

David, Concerning C. domesticus, I was refering to the first two pictures with the bright yellow to orange brown clusters of Inkcaps without remaining "mica". These are photo's of C. atramentarius, just as the for last of the earlier photo's was.

Matt, Today I visited an exhibition on fungi in Essen (Germany), where this (very rare ?) documentation of canker caused by I. nodulosus on a branch of a beech was shown. ---

1. Not Fuligo septica, but the still active plasmodium stage of another myxomycete, which has not yet formed aethalia. 2. Not one of the with an ozonium associated Coprinus species, such as C. domesticus, C. radians or C. xanthotrix, because they all are much paler (beige, ivory, cream, pale ochraceous brown) in colour and do not (often) fruit in clusters of more then two to five mushrooms (see : Coprinus domesticus; C. radians, so this probably is C. micaceus s.l., which has lost its "mica" after rainfall.

Here's one bug(ger) trying to scare off anyone coming to close, the caterpillar of the Elephant Hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenor), a perfect example of mimicry by imitating a small snake raising his head with fake eyes and threatening to "bite" when touched. And on top of this, its "skin" also looks like the scaly skin of a snake. The "Elephant" caterpillar lives on Epilobium, Oenonthera and Fuchsia species. ---

Erich ... ??? The charcoal industry and retailers (such as you) of biochar must be desperate, because of the lack of financial profits, trying to reopen the "discussion" on the supposed "benefits" of their "product" by introducing another anonymous, who for the first (and only) time posts on this forum after the previous biochar lobbyist was carried out of the "ring" on a stretcher after a total knock out . 1/4. And what does this "research" done by the President of the Japanese Biochar Association and his "biochar friends" show or "prove" ? That the outcomes are determined by the commercial interests of the producers of biochar and the food industry (Shoro) paying for these "experiments", which are - as always - limited to time periods of one to three years ? 2. Introduction of "synthetic chemical fertilizers" in the soil food web of natural pine forests ? Short term and long term effects ? 2/6/7/8. Can you come up with any research on how indigenous European species of ectomycorrhizal macrofungi from the genus Rhizopogon, Scleroderma and Suillus associated with European pine tree species react to the combined introduction of inoculates, fertilizers and biochar ? And how this would enhance or damage the natural succession of ectomycorrhizal symbionts of the tree species specific ecosystems of Pinus on the long run ? By the way, are you familiar with pioneer pine forests being an in between stage in the natural (i.e. not man-made) succesion of European tree species specific forest ecosystems, which always end in ecosystems in which only tree species specific ecosystems of deciduous tree species are present ? This research afs-journal articles forest on Pinus pinea and its association with Suillus and Rhizopogon rubescens in Lebanon shows the same or better results of colonization (55 %) of (in this case non-cut) roots by ectomycorrhizae of Rhizopogon as does the "research" of Ogawa, but this time without the introduction of charcoal as a water buffering medium. 3. Why "probably" and "might" if the "researchers" are so sure of the effects attributed to charcoal ? They can not provide scientific evidence for their claims ? 3/5. Are you propagating to cut the roots of trees and/or exposing the root system by removing the top soil and all under shrubs and/or raking out the litter layer to "regenerate" root formation ? What is the effect of this "method" on the natural soil food web of "infertile" dry sandy soils, which are characterized by having the highest biodiversity in spores and mycelia of indigenous mycorrhizal symbionts ? And what about the risk of invasion of the damaged roots by (rhizomorphs of) parasites such as Armillaria species ? 3/10. If there is a "beneficial" effect of the introduction of charcoal, then it can only be its water buffering capacities, which just as well can be attained by replacing them with any kind of other water holding medium, which probably can be done at much lesser costs then paying for biochar, tree saver or other "baked air" products, as the Dutch rightfully call them. 9. Not so harmful as other types of (bark) biochar ? 11. What good will ectomycorrhizal macrofungi do to date palms ? Conclusion. Yet another attempt of another nomen nescio with a clear commercially inspired agenda to promote his products and those of his biochar friends without proper understanding the "research" he cites, nor having a clue what natural forest ecology, including the dynamics of the soil food webs of tree species specific ecosystems and the tree life cycle following succession of (ecto)mycorrhizal symbionts are all about. And I am grateful for this again drawing attention to the utter nonsense your also anonymous "collegue" previously posted on this thread on mycorrhizae by starting a debate on Terra Preta, of which he thought that it was the same as biochar . Who needs enemies when one has such "friends" ?

Are these beautiful "bee" beetles, in Dutch called "brush" beetles, known from the U.K. ? Photo 1 : Trichius fasciatus on Phyteuma spicatum subsp. nigrum. Photo 2 : Trichius zonatus on Rubus fruticosus. ---

Ailanthus altissima on the continent nowadays is considered to be an invasive exotic species, which in the Swiss Alps (Graubünden) f.i. is removed by hand, because it spreads and revives so easily and quickly, that is overgrows and eliminates indigenous species of trees and plants. When you have one or a few fruiting trees of heaven in a city park, after five years you have hundreds of seedlings, which even surface from cracks in the pavement or side walk.

A Coprinus species, probably from the C. micaceus group, a saprobiont living on/of dead wood and debris, in this case fruiting at the base of a tree, because it may also has been visited a lot by dogs lifting up one leg. Coprinus species do not affect the tree at all.

Apart from giving incorrect information on ectomycorrhizal symbionts, they should in the first place have written its scientific name right, which is Xerocomus bubalinus. Besides, it does not only associate with Tilia, but also with Populus. And they should point out, that X. bobulinus is difficult to separate from X. communis (= X. chrysenteron) and X. rubellus. See the Dutch website on : Xerocomus.

No, they all are ascomycetes capable of producing ascospores in (in this case pinkish red) pyramid-shaped perithecia embedded in a (pink) stroma, like is shown in the photo of H. rosellus on desicated caps of Polyporus ciliatus. ---

Here's a photo of Daedalea quercina on a dead stump of oak infected with the mycelium of Hypomyces rosellus causing a pinkish to purplish staining of the bracket surface. ---

This completely fertile (?) "Chicken" fruits on a living yew and because of that may not that easily become infected with the mycelium of Hypomyces rosellus.

Winter or late summer, always bare in mind, that the production and spreading of spores by newly formed annual brackets of Chondrostereum purpureum mostly takes place from late summer until early winter. And also check for "Astkriecher" of Phellinus tuberculosus at the lower side and/or in the "armpits" of branches. ---

John, This fruiting from dead wood is incomplete in (partially) forming (sterile) "lumps" instead of (fertile) brackets and is possibly infected with the mycelium of Hypomyces rosellus causing the purplish colour change.

Rob, Last week, high up in the Austrian Alps, there were two shallow ponds with lots of small tadpoles of the Alpine salamander (Salamandra atra). Last year I met two adults, one of which continuously was climbing up my shoes, because it was the only warm and dry spot in the wet grasslands surrounding us .

Today I finally succeeded in photographing a Hummingbird Hawk-moth in hovering flight while sticking its proboscis into a garden flower to collect nectar from it. ---

And because of the possible intolerance for specific alkaloids present in Chicken-of-the-Woods causing nausea and/or dizzy spells, which have in the past even led to hospitalization after consuming fresh young brackets.

Stropharia (= Psilocybe) semiglobata.