Grassland by East Bank Way 30-5-11

On the 30th of May, after there had been showers following days of good weather, I found a few mushrooms that are often found in the soil this time of year. Especially after a downpour. The photos  above and below are of Panaeolina foenisecii. As can be seen, the caps and stems are dark reddish brown, this is because they are wet. When they dry, they will be creamy beige.

Also hidden the grass was Parasola plicatilis/ Pleated Inkcap, the photos below show show delicate this particular species is.

Growing in the same place as last year was Marasmius rotula/Collared Parachute. This mushroom is easy to identify by it's pleated cap and unusual stipe attachment to the stem. (See below),

Singleton Park & Lake Pluck

Singleton Park

On the off chance that I might find some mushrooms at Singleton Park I thought I'd have a leisurely foray around it. I did find a couple of things, below is Parasola plicatilis/ Pleated Inkcap mushroom.
Unlike the parasols I found a few days ago, these are tiny, about a quarter the size. They are extremely fragile and by the time I got them home they were badly damaged and had already started to go limp. The second photo shows the mushroom at a young age.

There was also this ladybird with more spots than I would normally see. I've seen a lot of ladybirds this year, well more than I can remember seeing over the last few years.

Below is Ganoderma austale (=G. adspersum) /Southern Bracket.. Very common on the dead treetrunks here.

I found this small mushroom in the same place as the parasols. As to what it is I really can't say. I think it's probably an Inocybe but I really cannot be sure. It's one of those little brown toadstools that frustratingly defy identification..

Lake Pluck
On a walk to Lake Pluck I came across some burnt gorse with Daldinia fissa on it. I've seen this before on a previous walk but I hadn't spotted these before. They are related to Daldinia concentrica/Cramp Balls but only live on burnt gorse.

I was surprised to see these small mushrooms in the needle litter. It could  be a few things. At he moment I'm in the process of trying to identify it.

Two brackets that I found. On the left is Daedaleposis confragosa/ Blushing Bracket. It's pore side bruises red very easily hence the common name. As you can see, there is a hole where I pulled out the branch it had grown around. On the right is Polyporus leptocephalus/Blackfoot Polypore. At the base of the stalk there is a strong black mark.

Finally I came across this half eaten Russula. I'll try and get a spore print off it..