Mike Roberts

Common bird's nest - Crucibulum laeve One of more common of bird's nest fungi found in the UK, very often over-looked due to their tiny size, each 'nest' being approximately 5-10mm. When young they are covered with a membranous layer which peels away exposing the 'eggs'. The spores are found within the eggs which are attached to the nest via fine threads which break away easily usually by rain droplets, helping the spores to spread. August 2022 #mushrooms #commonbirdsnestfungus #birdsnestfungus #crucibulumlaeve #wildfood #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #summer

Resupinatus species - Smoked Oysterlings Found on the underside of damp, rotting wood. They are typically stemless and attached to the wood by the upper surface of the caps. There are a few Resupinatus species and most are identical macroscopically and need microscopy to separate them. May 2024 #mushrooms #smokedoysterling #resupinatus #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Clustered brittlestem - Psathyrella multipedata These mushrooms start out with a more amber colour and a conical cap, fading due to age with the caps becoming more bell shaped. Translated from Latin, the word multipedata means 'with many feet' meaning multiple mushrooms can share the same common base and branch out as they develop. Usually found in open, mixed woodland but also known to grow on lawns and roadside verges. June 2024 #mushrooms #clusteredbrittlestem #psathyrellamultipedata #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Pseudoinonotus dryadeus - Oak bracket Almost exclusive to Oak trees, although it has been found on Beech amongst others, the Oak bracket oozes an amber coloured liquid giving it its other common name 'Weeping conk'. The name of liquid droplets excreting from any fungus is known as guttation. This is usually found on bracket fungus but can also be found on 'cap and stem' fungi too. June 2024 #mushrooms #pseudoinonotusdryadeus #oakbracket #guttation #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Rhododendron bud blast - Seifertia azaleae These tiny Ascomycetes can found infecting buds of Rhododendrons through the Spring and Summer. Its believed that the spores from this species can enter via puncture wounds created by Rhododendron leafhoppers attempting to bury their eggs. May 2024 #mushrooms #rhododendronbudblast #seifertiaazaleae #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Tongues of Fire - Gymnosporangium clavariiforme An interesting rust fungi and also quite rare in the UK as its primary host (Juniper) is not so common. A complex fungus in that it needs to switch host during its development to complete its life-cycle. Initially starting out on Juniper forming these orange horn-like structures, it's spores must then travel to and infect Hawthorn causing yellow depressions on the leaves and small white spore-bearing tubes on the Haw fruit. The spores must then be carried back to Juniper where it can complete the cycle. Although it's not known to cause damage to the Juniper it does cause significant damage to Haw trees by reducing the volume of berries it produces the following year. Known from only 3 locations in Wales with only one site up North. April 2024 #mushrooms #tonguesoffire #gymnosporangiumclavariiforme #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Waxcaps - Hygrocybe species We're lucky here in North Wales to have a vast amount of untouched grassland compared to other areas of the UK which provides us with a great diversity of Waxcaps and other important grassland species such as Earthtongues, Corals and Entoloma. All of these were found within 50-100 meters of each other, with the Pink waxcap being quite rare it was left in situ. Top left rotating clockwise (if I remember correctly..) Crimson Waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea) Slimy Waxcap (Gliophorus irrigatus) Cedarwood Waxcap (Cuphophyllus russocoriaceus) Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea) Butter Waxcap (Hygrocybe ceracea) Snowy Waxcap (Cuphophyllus virgineus) Pink Waxcap (Porpolomopsis calyptriformis) Parrot Waxcap (Gliophorus psittacinus)

Chicken of the woods - Laetiporus sulphureus This striking polypore can be found from the late Spring through to the Autumn. It can be found on a wide range of trees including Oak, Cherry, Willow, Chestnut and Yew. I tend to find the more vibrant examples are found on Cherry in my experience. It starts off life as a small, yellow blob and expands over time creating shelf like brackets. May 2024 #mushrooms #chickenofthewoods #laetiporussulphureus #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Stream Beacon - Vibrissea truncorum Also known as Water Clubs, these small water-loving mushrooms can be found on partly submerged logs in running streams and brooks. Quite an uncommon to rare find with slightly more than 100 confirmed records in the UK. It's likely that this species has been misidentified as Bog Beacons (Mitrula paludosa) in the past and they may be more common than originally thought. Big thank you to @a_mycena_affair for giving me the location and directions to spot these. Great find! May 2024 #mushrooms #vibrisseatruncorum #streambeacons #waterclubfungus #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Puccinia urticata - Nettle rust This common but overlooked species can be found on all types of nettles. Found on both the stem and leaves, this fungus causes the plant to swell and discolour eventually forming 'cups' known as aecia. May 2024 #mushrooms #nettlerust #pucciniaurticata #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #spring

Fairy inkcaps - Coprinellus disseminatus These short lived mushrooms are often found in huge numbers covering decaying wood. Averaging only about a centimetre in height, these fungi are hard to miss when found in dense clusters. May 2024 #mushrooms #coprinellusdisseminatus #fairyinkcaps #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #pilze #paddestoelen #summer

Fly Death Fungus - Entomophthora muscae This is a pathogenic fungus that infects various fly species. Once it takes hold of host it takes roughly a week to kill. Once the fly is in near critical condition the fungus 'controls' it to climb up to the highest optimum point, in this case Thistles, to maximise spore dispersal. Once the fly dies the fungus develops bands of conidiophores from where the spores develop eventually ejecting in an attempt to land on other hosts and repeat the cycle. The fungus can also mimic pheromones, inviting more flies to join the party. May 2024 #mushrooms #flydeathfungus #entomophthoramuscae #mushroomsofinstagram #nature #naturephotography #mushroomphotography #fungus #fungi #edible #wildmushrooms #photography #forest #funghi #mushroomhunting #mycology #woodland #mushroomidentification #autumn #northwales #wales #paddestoelen #spring