Foray Reports

  A group of 10 of us met in the carpark on a fine morning to see what we could record on this ever-productive site. We were not disappointed, and by the end had recorded 66 species. They were all seen in the small woodland around the path entering it to the left just after the entrance barriers. This in itself was unusual, as we have always in the past managed to get from here to go on around the main lake itself; but almost before we knew it, it was 12 o’clock finish time and we had to turn back to the carpark without even a glimpse of the main water body.

Highlights of the morning began with Craig Levy spotting several Rhodotes gemina (Tan Pinkgill) in litter under hawthorn. We have found this here before, but not for some time. It is fairly uncommon with just 5 previous records from four other Notts sites. Another uncommon find was Karen Corbel’s Coprinellus callinus, a small ink cap in the litter with hawthorn and birch. According to CATE2 there are nationally only 101 records and this is a 2nd Notts record, the other being at Walesby in 2011. To Karen we also owe a 1st Notts record with a grey crust fungus on a fallen branch – Sistotrema brinkmannii. Agnieszka Kiely found a 2nd Notts record of Galerina salicicola in grassy sand under its usual host, willow. This is a rare species, there being only 12 records nationally from 10 other sites, our other record being from Colwick CP in 2005. Another fungus that caught the eye under various broad-leaf trees was Otidea alutacea (Tan Ear) in several pale clusters at that spot. It is one of the Hare’s Ear fungi.

I was pleased when Agnieszka and Craig turned up with Cortinarius trivialis (Girdled Webcap), one of the easy species of this genus to identify. It is a large striking orange fungus with veil girdles and scales on the long thick stems. This is the only Notts site I know of for it, and it has always been seen on the east bank of the lake; so, it is good to know that it also occurs in this piece of woodland to the west of the lake.

Among the Russulas found was Yi Wang’s pink Russula fragilis, a rather small Russula and, as the name suggests, quite easily broken on handling. It could be mistaken for the similar Russula gracillima and Russula betularum, also rather small and pink, both occurring readily with birch and all hot on the taste buds. Russula fragilis is very hot to taste.

I think we all enjoyed a pleasant morning’s foray, even if we didn’t get to see the lake this time. And 66 species is a pretty good tally.

Howard Williams