Early August Fungi

In our wanderings through Dunrobin Woods we quite frequently pass the memorial to Harriet, second Duchess of Sutherland, and, each time, note how neglected it is. However, the other day it was the centre of an explosion of fungi, five species within a few metres, the first of which....

....was about 5" in diameter and very finely marked. Because it was, in many ways, just another 'brown job', it took some considerable time and research to find even an approximate identification. It's one of a very large family, the Inocybe, of which there are some 1,400 species. This one may, just may be I. asterospora.

This one was, by comparison, very easy to identify: it's the golden chanterelle, a fungus which is described as both fairly uncommon in Britain but excellent eating. Sadly, we wouldn't have had much of a meal - this one was alone. Even had there been several, I'm not sure we'd have had the courage to pick and eat them.

Of the other three species this was the prettiest. I'm not at all sure of its identification but it might be Russula vesca, common name The Flirt.

The fungi were also coming into bloom at Littleferry the other day, this group sharing a very old log with....

....this little colony. I have tried but had no success with their identifications.

In the woods between Littleferry and Loch Fleet we came across three of these bright orange masses which had the texture of caviar. This isn't a fungus but a slime mould, Tubifera ferruginosa. These woods seem to specialise in slime moulds: we found a bright yellow one, described here, not long ago.