Fungi and lichens

A splendid day spent on Hampton Nature reserve with a group of volunteers, participating in their Christmas celebration. I helped cut down willow in the morning, though I eventually wandered off with my camera to photograph mosses, lichens and fungi! 

At lunchtime we all congregated round the fire and ate baked potatoes with cheese, mince pies, chocolate brownie and various other treats, which was washed down by mulled wine that we brought along. 

In the afternoon we ambled slowly to the northern end of the reserve where we'd found a splendid group of parrot waxcaps four years ago. We thought that they'd gone, but Alex spotted them and we were pleased to see plenty present. They are the most amazing fungi, the only waxcaps that almost always exhibits a greenish tinge, and can sometimes be very green indeed (see extra). 

Although it was exciting to find them, my favourite find of the day was these very bright-pink fungi that are mildly parasitic on a particular species of lichen, Physcia tenella. They're very tiny and I've never seen them before.  They seem to have a fairly widespread distribution, though their small size and the fact that they usually appear in midwinter means that they are rarely recorded. There is no English name, and the scientific name is a bit of a mouthful - Illosporiopsis christiansenii.

By 3 p.m dusk was falling so we headed home for a refreshing cup of tea, before heading to the pub to meet up with friends and family for a Christmas drink. We then returned home and shared a Chinese takeaway - a good work's night out!

(posted 27 December 2018)