FenFungi

I'd greatly appreciate any spare woodchips going to pile and spread around garden to identify and record any fungi that may appear. Previously great success with woodchips supplied by Old Woodcutter gave multiple fungi records of interest for Norfolk. Located at Welney and happy to self bag up within 20-30 miles radius.

I think the jury is still out as it's still relatively unknown; a quick Google shows that someone has eaten it with no ill effects but I would err on the side of caution until it's confidently recommended as an edible species.

As usual lots of good fungi to find and thanks to OldWoodcutter for allowing me access to have a look around. Agrocybe rivulosa. First recorded in the UK in 2004 and now spreading rapidly on it's favourite habitat of fresh piles of woodchips; please keep chipping! Yellow Fieldcap Bolbitius titubans A lover of damp sawdust,mulch and dungy grass. Can appear in large numbers but very fragile and typically shortlived. Hare's Foot Inkcap Coprinopsis lagopus Another very ephemeral species on woodchips but one of the larger members of the inkcap family

A couple of finds ignoring the recent frosts at Old Woodcutter's Yard. The orange discs are superficially similar to the larger Orange Peel Fungus but are in fact a species known as Melastiza chateri characterised by growing in large groups on bare soil, in this case a muddy heap of old Sugar Beet waste and having fine black hairs around the cup margin. The other photo is of the more familiar Smoky Polypore Bjerkandera adusta which is typically found on most hardwoods. Thanks as ever to Old Woodcutter for allowing access to look for fungi.

Unfortunately not; the spores are large and ellipsoid with an eccentric germ pore and the veil is made up of thin walled inflated elements which rules out both Common and Magpie Inkcap. I'm into some pretty deep and dark inky stuff here!

Found in deepest Norfolk at Old Woodcutter's yard is this collection of Inkcaps (Coprinopsis) enjoying life on woodchips and taking advantage of the wet and warm weather. As yet the exact species is unknown as the microscopy is keying out to something I've not seen before, further help is being sought. Thanks to Old Woodcutter for allowing the access to "foray" his yard.

I just wanted to put a big shout out to Old Woodcutter who has been incredibly helpful in assisting me with this request, very accommodating and a thoroughly nice chap too. Thanks Tim (you can pay me later!)

Great photos and great specimens; lucky person who has them and probably not far from me (PM me postcode if you want). I put these down as esculenta; personally I don't think there's enough other than some morphological differences to split these out as distinct species. It all depends on which authority you read and whether they're a lumper or a splitter when it comes to varieties or species. Black Morels Morchella elata are fine as a species as they have distinct vertical ribbing but esculenta, vulgaris, rotunda are pretty much the same. Black Morels tend to be the more frequently recorded species these days so it's good to see some photos of "proper" Morels.

Definitely False Morel Gyromitra esculenta. This is their time of year and spot on with the habitat, sandy pine forest. Contains gyromitrin which can be metabolised to make rocket fuel.........

Commonly known as Cedar Cups (I should have added)

These are Geopora (=Sepultaria) sumneriana. Always with mature Cedars and in the Spring. Nice find. No tree health issues as far as I know, it's almost certainly mycorrhizal with Cedrus species.

I'm interested from a purely recording perspective of any Morel records over the coming days and weeks, especially those in Norfolk/Suffolk/Cambs where I am a fungus recorder. I don't need anything specific other than the site where they were growing. Typically they like old woodchip piles, mulched borders, burnt ground, old orchards, disturbed soil. They can be difficult to find and see and I always think it's fortunate for those who do find them. Good luck!

Sounds good, I've sent you a PM. Thanks.

That's great, I've sent you a PM. Thanks.