Waxcap #5 - Blackening Waxcap

I nearly squashed these as they are in the garden next to the barn. Classic Blackening Waxcaps - always a good sight to see.

Waxcap #4 for 2022 - Fibrous Waxcap

They are starting to appear now and #4 looks almost normal apart from being on the small side. The Fibrous Waxcap (Hygrocybe intermedia) is usually found in numbers here but this is not a normal season so far.

Waxcap #3 for 2022 - Yellow Foot Waxcap

I didn't recognise this at first - small and broken caps did not scream Yellow Foot Waxcap but the distinctive gills and the yellowing of the stipe base when bruised are giveaways.

Waxcap #2 for 2022

It's been a long time coming but I did find two more species on our return from holiday - the first of which is Golden Waxcap (Hygrocybe chlorophana).It is fruiting in the East and South fields.

New Species - Larch Bolete

Not surprisingly fruiting near one of our two large Larch trees. This is a strikingly coloured Bolete with some distinctive features to make identification relatively straightforward. The loose upwardly facing ring, the low volva and the bright yellow pores bruising purply brownish.

Pine Marten - not seen yet!!

There are reports of Pine Martens in woods just a coupleof miles from here - crossed the river from the Forest of Dean where there has been a release. Exciting times.So here is a photo I took last week in Scotland. What a stunning animal.

At last - a fruiting fungus

Not a new species but one that I have to check carefully. I am happy that this is Red-cracking Bolete (Xerocomellus chrysenteron) although there is some confusion with regard to Xerocomellus cisaplinus which is similar. Basically there only used to be X. chrysenteron and then it was decided that most of the specimens identified as such were really X. cisalpinus. Kibby says that X. chrysenteron 'appears to be confined almost entirely to coniferous woods although very occasionally it can appear with Fagus'. Just to confuse matters even further , the name Red cracking Bolete should really be for X. cisalpinus but I follow the BMS naming system which maintains the name for X. chrysenteron. Not only that but the fungus has moved genus from Boletus to Xerocomus to Xerocomellus in recent years. Anyway all the indications say may id is right (and it was under Fagus) and the spores confirm it.