GFG foray: Whitford Sands

Whitford Sands is a lovely place and always good for mushrooms. When we arrived, there was already an orienteering fun run going on, so whilst we stood around looking at mushrooms, adults and children ran about in circles looking for control points.

The main habitats are grasslands and dunes, but there are also marshes too. The trees here are predominately pines. We found a good variety of species including Russula/Brittlegill, Inocybe/Fibrecap, Macrolepiota/Parasol, Hygrocybe/Waxcap to name a few. We always find a few fungi that live on dung here and indeed we weren't let down.

Below is the only Russula we found. It's Russula sardonia,  Primrose Brittlegill. The primrose moniker refers to the primrose coloured gills. The cap is a lovely dark purple colour with pink flushes. The stipe also has a primrose colour overlaid with a lilac/pink flush.

 Below is the fruitbody of a parasitic fungi called Phaeolus schweinitzii. It grows specifically at the base of pine trees.

Whitford is also abundant in Macrolepiota, The very large parasol mushrooms. They are so large, they are easy to spot even in the distance. The photo below was taken about one hundred foot away.



Below is Macrolepiota

 This Macrolepiota below is different. This can be seen in the markings

One of the dung fungi we found; Psilocybe coprophila.

 Finally Geastrum triplex/Collared Earthstar.

One of the oddities on the dunes was finding some snails, taking refuge under the leaves of plants. 

 

Whiteford Sands 02-10-10

Russula sardonia/Primrose Brittlegill
Macrolepiota
Macrolepiota
Geastrum triplex/Collared Earthstar
Hypholoma fasciculare/Sulphur Tuft
Phaeolus schweinitzii
Marasmius oreades/Fairy ring Champignon
Hygrocybe conica
Hygrocybe persistens
Hygrocybe chloroforma
Geoglossum cookeanum
Lepiota cristata
Lactarius deliciosus
Lycoperdon perlatum/Common Puffball
Vascellum pratense/Meadow Puffball