Ben R

Yes, but believe it or not a couple of specimens were twice the size. It's a big fungus. Here's another rare beauty - once seen, never forgotten! Blue Cobalt Crust (Terana caerulea). Saprobic on dead hardwoods (here Beech). Stroud, Glos. The second fungus is a rare/uncommon Ganoderma species - G. lucidum. Told by the kidney shape, reddish upper surface and the thin, knobbly, finger-like stem. Found on an old hardwood stump (Oak i think) near Ledbury, Herefordshire. Saprobic or parasitic. Last pic shows a species to look out for from anytime soon - Poplar Fieldcap (Cyclocybe cylindracea). These were found in May 2016 near Newent, Glos. Despite the common name, it doesn't occur exclusively on Poplus.

Actually, looking again, 'Black Witches Butter' (either Exidia glandulosa or the lookalike E. plana) is probably a better bet than B. inquinans - they are very similar. Sorry!

Thanks AJ. R. Phillips and the Collins book (Buczaki et al) are the ones i normally use in the first instance. Keep chipping away at it (pardon the arborist pun!) and as with anything, you'll improve. Joining your local Fungus Group will help too. Online, there's ISPOT and the UK Fungi Forum. Think your above species is Black Bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans).

Here's a rare one for the pot - Satan's Bolete Rubroboletus satanus. Found on calcareous soils and mycorrhizal with Oak.?

Hi youngsbury It''s an 'Earthstar' (Geastrum) but there are a number of lookalikes so it's difficult to say which species it is. Very nice. Cheers Ben

Hi AJ Wonderful Cauliflower Fungus specimen - great find. It's not easy identifying fungi from photos and the less there are, the harder it is, but I suspect your coral is Ramaria rather than Clavulina as the latter usually has finer tips than this. No 3 looks like it might be Freckled Dapperling Echinoderma asperum (size, general features and esp the cap with widely distributed, small, pointed scales). 4 is possibly Deceiver Laccaria laccata. Sorry to stick my nose in your post! Ben

I've been right through this thread - lots of great pics/examples! On page 2 Steve asked what the small blue brackets shown in Yve's post were. I think it's one of the Blueing Bracket Postia caesia 'complex'. If the substrate was coniferous, P. caesia, or if broadleaf, then P. subcaesia or P. alni. Yve's other fungi are or look like they might be, 1 & 3 the famous Fly Agaric Amanita muscaria, 2 is Russula. Quite possibly ochroleuca which is very common, but in most cases you need microscopy to get to species with Russula. So many lookalikes! Best guess for 4 is Plums and Custard Tricholomopsis rutilans. Agree with Fungus re page 8 - Armillaria.

Thanks for the replies. Yes, plenty more pics and I took a slice for confirmation (which was quite tricky since the fungus was above my head and below it the tree was surrounded by thick brambles). What did you want to see?

Hello all. I'm afraid completing a Chainsaw Maintenance and Felling of Small Trees course many moons ago and a brief stint surveying for Phytophthora is pretty much the full extent of my professional involvement with forestry skills. However, both myself and a member of another Fungus Group were most impressed with the Arbtalk Rigidoporus ulmarius threads (my route here). Thank you for an excellent resource David and fellow contributors. Looking beyond, i found plenty more of interest for fungiphiles like me.? You lot seem like an agreeable bunch too. Here then, is a contribution: R. ulmarius, Cornwall, 2020. I don't pretend the photo is anything special but the subject certainly was! A massive fruiting body circa 65-70 cm across and maybe 50 deep, thrusting forth from what looked like an old wound a couple of metres or so up the bole. Along with the 'Cornish pasty' bracket margin, the upper surface algal growth, and of course that thick white flesh/thin brown tube layer contrast seen when cutting yourself a slice of 'conk cake', i find another useful (and perhaps less frequently mentioned) indicator for this fungus are these muscular, buttress-like ridges that frequently occur on the pore surface. Cheers Ben