Tracks and Fungi ID please

[Chainsaw]

Out for a wee paddle today and came across a couple of things that were interesting. Now I'm really rubbish at fungi ID, after about and hour, I've just about given up scouring Rogers mushrooms, someone will have to beat me to death with a humungous birch polypore (tunk tunk tunk) before I have any hope whatsoever of remembering any of it! :twak: Anyways, got this one for you, island on Loch Lomond, mixed woodland of oak and pine, should be a doodle for someone with a more skill than I;

Tracks look like deer to me but can someone tell me which type? Can you tell from the tracks? I did see another couple of deer on another island so a wee description would help confirm, even included a size 9 boot print for scale

Cheers,

Alan

 

[Staghound]

The fungi look like young wood blewit (lepista nuda) to me (excellent edible species if so). Don't suppose you smelled them, wood blewit have a un-mushroom like almost perfumed smell. I must admit that I've never seen them with colours as bright as those though.

(also known as Clitcybe nuda)

couple of links

http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~6319.asp

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/clitocybe_nuda.html

 

[chickenofthewoods]

Wow. Thery certainly do look like blue-legs (blewits). Very young though! I'd want to see them a tad older just to get a glimpse of the gills (which should also be a startling violet-blue, you want a pink-ish sporeprint from them).

This is the bit from the mushroom expert webby you want to be paying attention to:

While there are other purple mushrooms, some of which are poisonous, they can be fairly easily distinguished from Clitocybe nuda. Inocybe species have brown gills and spores when mature. Purple Cortinarius species have a cortina when young, and have rusty-brown spores. Mycena pura is small and slender, and has white spores. Purplish Laccaria species like Laccaria amethystina have tough, fibrous stems; they are white-spored and edible. Bluish Entoloma and Leptonia species are not nearly as purple.

 

[Staghound]

BTW I reckon that those tracks are too big for roe and are probably red or fallow deer (most likely red but wouldn't want too bet on it). Oh, and just to be a smartarse, the blue feather in the centre of the pic looks like a secondary flight feather from a Mallard drake.

 

[Chainsaw]

Never got a sniff of the blewit so can't help there I'm afraid and the colours may be so bright as the flash fired but it still caught my eye so it probably did stand out a bit.

I thought it was Fallow as I saw the black and white butt of a deer as it disappeared into the trees and also this one on the bank. (none of these two definitely made the tracks and sorry for the poor piccie only had my 3x camera with me on the boat)

No points for the mallard feather I'm afraid but I'll give you 5 points for the boots that made the boot print

Cheers all,

Alan

 

[Staghound]

No points for the mallard feather I'm afraid but I'll give you 5 points for the boots that made the boot print

Cheers all,

Alan

Aha a challenge!!

OK I'm going for Timberland, 6 inch waterproof

 

[Tadpole]

No points for the mallard feather I'm afraid but I'll give you 5 points for the boots that made the boot print

Cheers all,

Alan

TIMBERLAND 6" Roll Top Nubuck in Beige

 

[Chainsaw]

ooh scary good guesses, outer edge is very similar but middle of timberland 6inch has crosses, not horizontal lines. I like timberland boots, I have 4 pairs, 2 6inch waterproof, one (retired) pair for working outside and one pair for general kicking around, 1 pair of lightweight hikers, more trainers really, nice and flexible and 1 pair of waterproof hikers for general use (shown below, me behind tree). And at about 30/40 quid a pair (from US), good value.

But nope, don't wear my timberland boots while canoeing....

Cheers,

Alan

 

[xylaria]

Blewits are a frost triggered species, and they have a velvet like skin to the cap not what appears to be slimy. If I could see a bulbose base I would say it was cortinarius purpurascens. Cortinarius group of fungi have web like veil that appears as between the edge of the cap and the stem. The fungi in the photo is too young to show this feature. C. purpurascens is sort of dubiously edible.

 

[Staghound]

To identify this one it seems we're going to need a look at the gills and a spore print. Get back in the canoe Chainsaw.

 

[Chainsaw]

arg! couple of the SotP guys are headed out there this weekend, I'll maybe drop them note to do a scratch and sniff

I'll try and gather more info next time!!

Cheers,

Alan

PS boots were Derwent Muck Boots! wellies to most folk

 

[robwolf]

hi chainsaw the tracks look like fallow ,you can tell what type of deer they are by using your little finger the first joint is as big as a muntjac ,secound joint is roe, as big as your little finger is fallow and bigger than your middle finger is red this is only a rough guide as you get young deer which have smaller feet so you then look at the shape as they are all slightly diffrent but thats a whole new ball game,this particular deer is trotting as the cleaves are slightly open ,hope this helps...... rob