Fungi found at Wombeyan Caves, NSW, 6,7 April 2014

There is an album on Facebook showing the large variety of fungi I saw on the weekend.
It was wet, which the Fungi loved, but which I didn't appreciate as much as the Fungi did.
These photos are available to the public - one does not need to sign up to Facebook to view them.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152742888119829.1073741912.809229828&type=1&l=3be8018cef

Russula persanguinea

Russula persanguinea
Note the white stem, which is brittle
and the densely packed white gills

Lichen - with tint red fruiting bodies which
look to me like little red boxing gloves.

dark orange cap on Boletus.

From the underneath,
you can see the white pores,
which are easily marked.

There are many more fungi photographed, including some unusual varieties.
Go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152742888119829.1073741912.809229828&type=1&l=3be8018cef

Photos of raindrops on plants, fungi in Robertson

This is why we get excited about rain in Robertson.
The Rainforest comes to life, literally, when we have had some rain.
Everything glows when light strikes it. 

Ferns and mosses absorb moisture and hold it.
Fungi suddenly appear from the forest floor, or out of rotten wood in trees.

Two creamy parasol fungi growing
from the forest floor.
Coachwood "seeds" have now fallen,
and lie there awaiting germination.

Some Jelly Fungus (Ear Fungus) live all year round as hard dried up leathery lumps, then soften and shed their spores when rain arrives.
And on the forest floor seedlings sprout, and a new crop of Coachwood seeds coats the ground underneath these huge trees. They will sprout in their masses, but few will survive to become mature trees - because the mature trees in the forest only need replacing in small numbers each year, after storms bring them crashing down.

Coachwood seeds lie thick on the ground
underneath these huge trees.
Many will germinate, but few will make it to mature size
They are not needed, because in the Nature Reserve,
the mature trees are well protected by eachother,
and so storm damage is minimal.

Many more photos are visible at this Facebook Album.
It is public - no need to be a subscriber to Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152621058989829.1073741889.809229828&type=1&l=517d6aba2e

Anni's naturally sculptured Bracket Fungus.

I was given this amazing natural sculpture by my friend Anni.
Clearly it is a very old Bracket Fungus, which was attached to a piece of very ancient firewood.
That's all very well, I just fell in love with the look of it.Fungi are pretty remarkable.
                                  

Art is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it?

Anni's Bracket Fungus
To me the "Brackets" remind me of
the ears of a cartoon dog.
If two ears are good, three are better, right?

Pluto Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas.jpg
Source: The Disney Wiki
DisneyEnchantedPDVD 346.jpg

With a growth point which resembles a face
is it any wonder it reminds me of a cartoon dog face?
It even has an "eye".

Looks like the flap of a dog's ear, to me.
Ain't Nature wonderfully weird?
This is the underside where the pores were.
This poor old specimen was very dry.
I have since soaked it for 24 hours,
and will observe it,
to see if it becomes fresh again.

Seen from above
you can see the growth rings
in the Bracket Fungus
Unlike many "mushrooms"
bracket fungi are hard textured
on the upper side,
and have pores on the underside.

Have a look at this nice image of a species of Bracket Fungus showing the soft white underside of the Bracket Fungus which is where the spores are produced.
http://research.fuseink.com/artifactimg/MTMyNjQzOTQ0NDQ1ODVfMQ.JPG

Here is a more scientific Blog post about one of the regular, large species of Bracket Fungi in Australia Ganoderma australe.

I anticipate receiving a message from Le Loup, who writes a "Wood Runner's Diary" because he likes these things for use as "Tinder". Keith is keeping alive the art of what he refers to as "Primitive Skills" (including fire lighting) and ancient flint-lock weapons.

There are also reports of the Ice Man (a neolitic corpse found in 1991, in the European Alps between Italy and Austria) having carried pieces of bracket Fungi for use as "tinder" (for fire lighting).
Among the numerous items of the Ice Man�s equipment were three fungal objects: two different shaped, polypore-like fungal fragments, each mounted separately on a leather thong; and a mysterious �black matter,� filling up the major part of his �girdle bag.� The black matter, which was first thought to be resin representing part of a prehistoric repair kit (Lippert and Spindler 1991; Egg and Spindler 1993), was later shown to be tinder material prepared from the true tinder bracket Fomes fomentarius (L.: Fr.) Fr. (Sauter and Stachelberger 1992; Poder et al., 1995; Peintner et al., 1998). The two whitish, polypore-like objects—one shaped more or less like a Scots pine cone, the other more spheroidal—were identified as fruitbody fragments of the polypore Piptoporus betulinus (Bull.: Fr.) P.Karst. (Poder et al., 1992; Peintner et al., 1998).
So far, this represents the only case in which mushrooms were obviously part of a prehistoric person�s equipment;

Source: http://www.dl.begellhouse.com/journals/708ae68d64b17c52,0d0f121956dd501b,30e4e1021c1fecff.html

Nowra weekend with Canberra Native Plant people

I stayed at Alan and Michelle's place on Friday evening, in readiness for meeting up with Roger and Christine and the rest of the travelling group from Canberra Australian Native Plant group who had come to Nowra for the weekend.
Their plan was to start with Bomaderry Creek Nature Reserve, and then move on to other areas in the Shoalhaven region.
Naturally we showed them lots of tiny Orchids, some almost invisible.
I have posted a Picasa album, which is open to the public.
https://plus.google.com/photos/113268294402913437731/albums/5859215150742708113?banner=pwa

Probably the most unusual image is a photo of a newly described and named species of Banksia from Vincentia. Apparently this plant has recently been formally described and named by Peter Weston, from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney. He is a recognised expert on Proteaceae. In all probability this is the first internet published image of this newly described and named species.

Banksia vincentia

Leaves of Banksia vincentia

This is a tiny, aberrant form of "Speculantha sp. aff parviflora" - one of the Tiny Greenhoods. Normally these plants are about 100 mm (4 inches) high, to 250mm for tall specimens. This plant was only 30mm in total height.The 5 cent coin is there for scale, to show how tiny the whole plant was.

Speculantha - a tiny "alba form".
A vary rare variation from the normal forms
which are found in the Shoalhaven.

There are many other photos of tiny Orchids, mostly Corunastylis species which were seen on this weekend.
https://plus.google.com/photos/113268294402913437731/albums/5859215150742708113?banner=pwa

More of the Fungi from Comerong Island

Please read this in conjunction with yesterday's post.

One thing I did not explain yesterday was that the original purpose of the Comerong Island trip was to look for various Ground Orchids. I was with the local Australasian Native Orchid Society people. As such I did not take the time which would have been necessary to examine all these Fungi in detail - with photos of gills, etc, in all cases.
 

Consequently some of these IDs are simply based upon similarities with published images, in Bruce Fuhrer's "Field Guide to Australian Fungi", or in the Sydney Fungal Studies Group website, or other published web images. I have linked to other known authoritative sources, where possible.

A baby Polypore?
Quite hard, not squishy.
and not a Gilled or Bolete Fungus

Unknown red-brown gilled fungus

Probably Cortinarius rotundisporus
A steely-blue cap, with yellow "umbo"
which increases in prominence as the Fungus ages.

I love to call these cute little lumpy jelly fungi
"Gummy Bears" (in honour of sweets of that name).
They are also known as "Jelly Babies"
The official name is Leotia lubrica

Possibly Clavaria miniata, "Flame Fungus"
This and the next couple of images are of
relatives of the "Coral Fungi"
But they are growing singly, and
not showing the typical divided heads
of Coral Fungi.
These forms are not rare, just different from
the classic Coral Fungi
and because they are very small, they are less easily seen.

A small specimen probably in what is known as
part of the Clavulina cristata complex.

Another specimen of
the Clavulina cristata complex

 

A type of Polypore or Bracket Fungus.
This does not grow from a dead tree, as most "brackets" do
but has a stem arising from the ground.
It has a distinctly leathery texture
allowing it to be bent over to reveal
the undersurface.(see below)

Undersurface of this leathery fungus.
It does not show obvious gills, but lines
which radiate out from the stem.
it is possible that it is related to the Gomphus complex of fungi
(note there are Dragonflies which share that name).

A fine gilled capped Fungus
with a dark stem.
Not sure what type.

This one I DO KNOW
Ghost Fungus. A luminous fungus.
Omphalotus nidiformis

Some unusual Geastrum (Earth Star) Puffballs
The reddish colour and poorly divided outer shells
make these somewhat unusual.

Another type of brown viscid gilled fungus
This one has a prominent "umbo"

A clump of moss growing on the ground,
with a small Mycena at left

This Mycena I did pick
to show the fine basal "hairs"
low down on the stem.
(Click on image to enlarge it)
This specimen was growing
from the moss on rotting wood

Some Fungi from Comerong Island

Comerong Island is a long sand island, at the end of the Shoalhaven River.

It is in effect, the southern end of Seven Mile Beach.

The flow of the Shoalhaven River has been disturbed, historically, by the diversion of the River via a canal dug by the first European landowner, Alexander Berry. The Shoalhaven River's main flow now is permanently diverted via the Crookhaven River.

"Comerong Island has the largest remaining area of
littoral (coastal) rainforest on the south coast."

Source:

Crookhaven River outlet of Shoalhaven River
Comerong Island with sand beach visible front and centre

The original opening was at "Shoalhaven Heads", but once the canal was dug, the Shoalhaven River has ceased to bust open the sand dunes which now block the original Shoalhaven Heads (some 5 Kms to the north).

Shoalhaven Heads - as seldom seen these days.
The beach is now continuous with Seven Mile Beach
(which extends to the left as far as Gerroa).
Comerong Island is just visible to the right.
It goes for approx 5 Kms
as seen in the image above.

Here are some of the Fungi we found on Comerong Island last Sunday.

A lovely small specimen of
Cryptotrama aspratum

unknown fungus
Not sure if this was a severely decomposed Fungus,
or a Slime Mould

Lovely cluster of small kidney-shaped fungi
with horizontal stems

A small (4 cm tall) black fungus
with no cap, but a solid fruiting body
Possibly Geoglossum sp
The leaves are of a Pterostylis, (Greenhood Orchid)

A lump of soft, sticky yellow Jelly Fungus
Tremella mesenterica
It takes its name from abdominal tissues (mesentery)
which separate key functional organs.
In culinary terms, think of "tripe" (offal).

Unknown gilled fungus with lovely chestnut colour
Too pretty not to photograph
even though I have no idea what it is.

 

A young cap of Russula persanguinea
These Russulas have distinctive stiff
stems which snap like a piece of chalk.

Possible Cortinarius sp.

Stem of possible Cortinarius (as above)
Note the prominent stem ring (annulus)

A wonderful moss-covered log
with thousands of these small pale brown capped fungi
Probably the best colony of fungi we saw.

 

Interesting patterns in the upper cap of this little fungus.
I love the "architecture" of fungi caps.

Possible Cortinarius perfoetens
formerly Rozites foetens

The underside of the same specimen above.

More fungal fun to come

in subsequent posts.