GFG Foray: The Cliffs by Pilton Green

Today was the last GFG foray. This year has been a bumper year for mushrooms across Britain apparently. The good weather conditions, (good for fungi that is), that we've had over the last three years has probably had big hand in this result. I look forward to seeing what the records will show.

Talking of the weather, as a group we have been lucky with the weather, having great conditions on every foray date this year. I was concerned that the long warm spell we had would damage many mushrooms and this was borne out by what we found at Kenfig. Everything was parched.
But it will go down in my memory as the year it never rained on us and I'm grateful for that.

Finally....

It's good to have company when looking for mushrooms and I thank you all;  for turning up, giving your time to clamber though bushes, get stung by nettles, look at the ground, stare at the grass and occasionally lose our way. It's all good, and still been fun.
It's not often we find a toilet seat on the road walking back to the cars after getting a little bit lost..
To all you guys and gals. I thank you all.

 

We parked at Pilton Green then walked through some fields, crossing many stiles  to get to the cliffs. It was certainly the epitome of a bracing cliff top walk. From here it's not terribly far to find the cave that contained 'The red lady of Paviland'


Of all the mushrooms we found, Stropharia semiglobata was the most common. It likes cattle and horse dung and there was plenty of that around. There was lots of Lepista nuda/Blewits too (in perfect condition if you wanted to cook them).
There's lots of gorse here and lots of Tremella mesenterica/Yellow Brain living on it. More than I've ever seen before.

Below is Stropharia semiglobata. It likes dung.We also found Stropharia aeruginosa in reasonable amounts too.

 Stropharia aeruginosa

 Lepista nuda

 Below is a slime mould. We found quite a lot of this. It's Mucilago crustacea in what's called the plasmodium stage. It's strange to think it moves.

Below are a couple of lichens. I'll have to find what they are because I'm struck by the colours and patterns, both colour and organism design. They intrigue me as much as fungi.

Below is the google map link to Pilton Green
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=pilton+green&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Pilton+Green,+Rhossili,+Swansea&gl=uk&ei=3frrTP6WE6iAhAe4ptjMDA&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBYQ8gEwAA