The Ultimate "What is this Fungi?" thread.

[wilderlore]

Anyone know what fungi this is? It was found next to a slate track,near oak and hazel trees, most of the surrounding forest was coniferous.

Ste

 

[bob_the_baker]

Common Earth ball would be my guess: Scleroderma citrinum

 

[wilderlore]

Common Earth ball would be my guess: Scleroderma citrinum

Seems like the one, thanks!

 

[nephilim]

Hey guys.

Can you let me know what this is? I'm thinking a young dryads saddle...but I want to be sure.

 

[Geoff Dann]

A bit late in the year for young Dryad's Saddle. Might be Polyporus tuberaster.

 

[awarner]

Is this Beefsteak? Found it tucked into the roots of an old fallen oak.

 

[Geoff Dann]

Yes, but way past its best for eating. Likely to be very tanniny/sour.

 

[awarner]

Thanks for the confirmation, at least I know where to look next year as it was hidden behind the brambles.

 

[awarner]

Looking like Chicken of the wood on an oak but seems late in the year plus it's more brown than the usual yellow but could that be the age of it?
Main reason for confirmation is this is an oak that is currently under threat from the tides and erosion from the Hamble so need to know how this may affect the stability of the tree before it decides to block the river if it fell, which another close by did last August.
It's quite high up the tree so not able to reach it without a ladder.

 

[Geoff Dann]

Looking like Chicken of the wood on an oak but seems late in the year plus it's more brown than the usual yellow but could that be the age of it?

Yes and yes.

Main reason for confirmation is this is an oak that is currently under threat from the tides and erosion from the Hamble so need to know how this may affect the stability of the tree before it decides to block the river if it fell, which another close by did last August.

I can't help you with that. COTW, like many saprophytic fungi, feed on the heartwood of trees i.e. wood that is already dead, even though the tree itself is alive. As a result, the tree ends up increasingly hollow. Some trees, including oaks, can stay standing when they are hundreds of years old and hollow enough for a person to walk inside them. Others fall over long before the heartwood is gone, for various reasons.

 

[awarner]

Thanks for the confirmation, I did wonder how long it may survive as I have an very old ash that is hollow after a lightning strike and it's still going strong with only a few inches of wood still being intact.
Another tree to report to the National Trust to have on the watch list.

 

[Samon]

Found huge mystery mushroom patch!

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Geoff Dann]

Giant polypore. This is a baby. Probably still edible at this point (becomes rather bitter/sour as it gets older).

 

[dennydrewcook]

Edge of a birch woods connecting to chestnut woods, stains blue when cut, defo doesn't look tasty 😂

Found in a chestnut woods under an oak, some sort of Russula but no clue what?

 

[Geoff Dann]

The bolete is unidentifiable and may be poisonous. The russula might be rosea. Unlikely to be edible.

 

[Machiavelli]

I think I found a few patches of The Deceiver (Laccaria laccata) today. It's often found with beech and Silver Birch and is edible, despite its slightly neon pink colour.

 

[Geoff Dann]

Laccaria something, anyway....

 

[Machiavelli]

Indeed, I could well be being deceived!

Looking forward to receiving your book. Pre ordered on Amazon last week before I realised you were here!

 

[Monikieman]

thing I found my first edible shrooms Brown birch bolete and and orange birch bolete.

 

[Geoff Dann]

Well, a brown leccinum and an orange leccinum. The species ID is harder.