Grampian Fungus Group: Aims

• To record the fungi of North East Scotland

• To encourage an interest in the importance of fungi in everyday life, wherever possible

• To develop a greater understanding of fungi through forays, talks and workshops open to members of the Group

• To increase the awareness of fungi through contact with local members of both professional and amateur groups which have environmental interests

• To promote the conservation of fungi and of threatened habitats of rare fungi

Committee Members:

Chairperson Bill Burns Beechmount Cushnie Alford Aberdeenshire AB33 8LL Tel: 019755 81209

Group Leader / Foray Organizer / Newsletter Editor Liz Holden Allanaquoich Mar Lodge Estate Braemar Ballater Aberdeenshire AB35 5YJ Tel: 013397 41410

Secretary, Recorder Rosemary Smith Mill of Cranna Aberchirder Huntly Aberdeenshire AB54 7SS

Treasurer, Membership Secretary Denis Bain 17 Gleneagles Drive Bridge of Don Aberdeen AB22 8NH

Editorial Membership 2010 has turned out to be another Just a reminder that annual subscriptions wonderful fungus year with interesting species are due on January 1 st for 2011. The 2010 turning up and lots of fungal events to keep us AGM agreed to maintain the subscription at busy. We are delighted by the formation of a £5.00 and cheques should be made out to the new local recording group – Clyde and Argyll Grampian Fungus Group and sent to Denis Fungus Group and look forward to further Bain at the address above. working with them in 2011. We are also N.B. If you have recently changed your email or delighted with our new Scottish Fungi website – house address, please let Denis know so that just Google ‘Scottish Fungi’ or click on the link he can update the records. http://sites.google.com/site/scottishfungi/ and check out the latest news or find out what is the Grampian Fungus Group: Members ‘fungus of the month’ – lots of interesting information on here. There were 42 paid up members at Dec 10 th 2010, the following is a list of those who have It has been lovely to have some new faces already paid their 2011 subscription. joining the ‘regulars’ this year. Do come along N.B. if your name is not on the list below and join in the fun. Paradise Wood was the and you wish to remain a member, please foray of the year for me with three wonderful send your cheque before you forget!! records Hohenbuehelia atrocaerulea , Limacella Keith Cohen guttata and Simocybe sumptuosa (see foray Colette Jones reports) – well done Ann, Denis and Rosemary Tako Taal for finding them! From an August survey, Sally Lesley-Melville comes a species from the high tops of the Richard Marriott Cairngorms that might be new to the UK – Sheila Reid opinions differ as to whether this small ochre Joe Sturgeon coloured fungus is Russula pallescens or R. felleaecolor (it’s currently waiting for DNA determination). Later on in the season came Diary Dates the report of the Rayed Earthstar ( Geastrum full list of forays and events will be sent out quadrifidum ) from Blairgowrie. This has been A confirmed and is new to Scotland (see article in the spring. One date for your diary our spring below). foray / AGM taking place on Sunday April 24th , meeting at 10.30am. Location details will The British Mycological Society (BMS) hosted follow in the spring. the International Mycological Congress (IMC9) in Edinburgh in August of this year and two GFG - Foray Reports 2010 excellent exhibitions about fungi ran alongside that event – one in the brand new ‘West Gate’ The full species lists for the forays will follow building at Royal Botanic Gardens and the in the spring; the following comments are just other at Dawyck Cryptogamic Gardens near to give a flavour of each event. Distribution Peebles. I do hope that some of you were able data are taken from the Fungal Records to visit these – it was so exciting to see the Database of Britain and Ireland (FRDBI), a fungi featured in this way. A small post database that is managed by the BMS. congress foray was held in Braemar and was attended by 20 people from all over the world – Sun. April 25 th Spring Foray and AGM a wonderful experience to be a part of. What The day started with a morning foray around with all of that, the BMS local recording group the lower lochans at Crathes. No toadstools biennial meeting, a boletes workshop, a joint were recorded but lovely material of Inonotus group foray weekend at Comrie and the fungus radiatus and Plicatura crispa was seen in the exhibition at the Trossachs Mushroom Festival wetter areas. A very fine patch of is has been a busy year! Lasiosphaeria spermoides was admired: it looked like a black rash on the wood of a large Just to finish - a plea from me for the next hardwood stump at the beginning of the foray. newsletter– please do send me pieces for this – it is so much better to have contributions from Many thanks to the National Trust for Scotland, a wide range of people. How did you get which hosted the AGM. Full minutes are interested in fungi – what have been your available to members on request, the following experiences? I am sure that they will be of being a brief overview. Ten members attended interest to others. Meanwhile here’s wishing with no apologies. everybody all the best for 2011 - happy fungling! Matters arising related to the GFG Website and Liz Holden to the digital circulation of the Newsletter. Ann Burns has agreed to use available space on the newly established Scottish Fungi website to

2 maintain a GFG website. Click on the link Fri. Sept 3 rd – Sun. Sept http://sites.google.com/site/scottishfungi/local- This was a joint foray weekend with the CAFG groups/grampian-fungus-group . Ann has been and the FGSES based in the Comrie area of busy putting newsletters on line and there is Perthshire. Saturday saw us in the oak woods also a calendar of our events. The digital around Comrie itself. With the help of a local distribution of the GFG newsletter and its new naturalist, the group located a hotspot area for format was well received but even with the use oak associating tooth fungi. Three species of pdf the file size is very large for dial up were found – a Hydnellum and two Phellodon computers to download. The editor will try and The P. niger (agg.) has been sent to Martyn further compress the photos to see if that will Ainsworth at RBGKew for further analysis to make the file size smaller. help unravel the taxonomic issues surrounding these fungi. Other highlights of the Saturday The Treasurer’s report indicated that there included Gyroporus cyanascens (see 2009 were 34 members at the time of the AGM. The Newsletter) and a Russula from base rich oak meeting agreed to maintain the subscription at woodland, which has been provisionally £5.00. identified as Russula rubra (= R. pungens in CBIB). This would be an interesting collection Liz Holden reported that the previous year’s as there are only a scatter of old records from forays had all been successful and that three Scotland and no vouchers from recent years. workshops were arranged for 2010; a Another fascinating Russula collected was R. microscope day, a Comrie foray / workshop virescens . weekend (to be held jointly with the CAFG and FGSES) and a Bolete workshop weekend.

Sat. July 10 th With a good turnout, the microscope workshop was held in the meeting room at Mar Lodge which proved to be an excellent venue. The day started with a presentation on tackling the macro and micro features that characterise the main genera of agarics – spore colour, gill attachment, cap cuticle, flesh trama and gill trama. The participants then spent the rest of the time practising the preparations necessary to enable the microscopic features to be seen. Fig. 1: Russula virescens (photo Liz Holden) Feeling confident that you have got the fungus in question to genus is a vital first step to This is a lovely green-capped species that accurate identification. characteristically cracks into a mosaic like pattern. It is not at all frequently recorded in Fri. August 13 th – Sun. August 15 th Scotland but as so often happens, turned up a See below for full report of the Bolete second time at Drummond – one of the Sunday Workshop. sites. Drummond also produced nice material of Marasmius cohaerens and Inocybe Sun. August 22 nd griseolilacina – the latter a lovely lilac tinted By popular request, it was decided to try a fungus with a smell of pelargonium. morning foray followed by an afternoon going through the collections with keys and a Several of us stayed in a delightful chalet on microscope. To enable ease of access to these the shores of a lochan near Comrie, which identification facilities, it was decided to hold made for a splendid barbeque on the Saturday the foray in the Quoich and come back to evening. Roy Watling kindly went around the Allanaquoich Farmhouse for the afternoon. It table of collections every evening, which was made a most enjoyable event. much appreciated by all. This was a most enjoyable weekend in a habitat that the GFG is Sun. August 23 rd rarely able to foray in. Many thanks to Dick Our first visit to Bellwood, Aboyne was a real Peebles of CAFG for making this happen. delight. Bellwood is an open woodland of th mainly pine, spruce and birch plus a few Sat. Sept 11 rowans on almost level ground with very low Leith Hall is a regular for the group and we vegetation, but unfortunately no lying listed about 60 species, mostly seen there deadwood. We had a good variety of species, before, but with a few interesting small species with some very different Cortinarius :- such as Cudonia circinans , Exidia thuretiana , C.armillatus , C.croceus , C.flexipes , C.laniger , Mycena acicula , and the masses of lovely C.scaurus , C.semisanguineus and the very yellow dots of Bisporella citrina which covered unpleasant smelling C.camphoratus . several lying branches. Rosemary Smith Rosemary Smith

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Sun. Sept 19 th mix of mature trees in a humid river valley is The foray began at Roseisle in the morning obviously a good combination. before moving to Culbin after lunch. Roseisle was most productive and the group hardly The collection of a large, ringed, pale beige needed to leave the car park area, with fungus that looked a bit like an Amanita but particularly lovely material of Ischnoderma somehow wasn’t was the first goodie. This benzoinum on fallen wood right next to the proved to be Limacella guttata – closely related toilet block! Always interesting to see to Amanita . Known from Birks of Aberfeldy in Hypomyces lateritius , the brick coloured Perthshire (see Newsletter No. 11 2007) and stromata of which encrusts old Lactarius fruit otherwise from just a scatter of Scottish sites in bodies. It is indeed parasitic on the Lactarius . the Forth catchment, and an older record from Another interesting fungal parasite was the Morrone. small translucent jelly like blobs (technical term!) of Tremella encephala which parasitise the mycelium of the tiny bracket fungus Stereum sanguinolenta . The latter is common on fallen conifer, the former not so frequently seen.

Fig. 3: Limacella guttata (photo Liz Holden)

Fig. 2: Lactarius deliciosus (photo Liz Holden) A new genus for the group was found growing on the dead standing trunks of elms by Ann. Culbin itself produced the normal range of pine The rather gelatinous, gilled brackets with a wood species. Particularly nice to see was a wonderful hairy top, turned out to be collection of true Lactarius deliciosus . Much of Hohenbuehelia atrocoerulea . The only other what is recorded as this species is more likely recent record for this species in Scotland is to be L. quieticolor – also with orange colours from Doune Ponds near Stirling. and growing with pine. The orange is not usually as bright and the scrobicules (pits) on the stipe are not as grand in L. quieticolor !

Sun. Sept 26 th The walk through the birch, junipers and aspen at Morrone Birkwood is always a delight, with views across to the Cairngorm Massif. We found nice material of Hygrophorus hedrychii . This is a lovely, white and glutinous species that sometimes smells strongly of mandarin oranges (honestly!). The Morrone collection had only a hint of this delightful smell but matched well in other respects. A collection of what turned out to be Psathyrella spadicea had us guessing in the field. This is one of the few Psathyrella species that seem to key out easily once back at home with the microscope! The Fig. 4: Hohenbuehelia atrocoerulea. (photo Liz relatively small spores, the lack of a veil and Holden) the presence of crystals on the apex of the pleurocystida makes for a distinctive Still reeling from all this excitement, Rosemary combination. then collected a smaller and less dramatic fungus with a wonderful velvety cap. Unlike

Sat. Oct 2nd anything I had come across before, microscopic examination proved this to be Paradise Wood is one of those sites that Simocybe sumptuosa – a brown spored, wood always seems to turn up something of interest; rotting species confirmed from only one other it excelled itself in 2010! The rich soils and the Scottish site at Blair Atholl.

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Sun. Oct 10 th BMSRN Group Leaders Meeting, Alston th The fungi at Aden Park on 10 October were Hall Preston June 25 th – 27 th June 2010 fewer than in former years with just over 50 A small group of us headed south from species named. The lawn in front of the old Scotland for this biennial event with 3 of the 4 house was a disappointment especially for Scottish groups represented. We were treated Hygrocybes as it usually has many species but to a weekend of the usual lively debate and we only found H. ceracea and H. psittacina . swapping of ideas and information – always Rosemary Smith worth the trip.

Fri Oct 17 th President of the BMS, Lynne Boddy (Cardiff The first interesting collection at Craigievar, University) welcomed everybody and opened was a cluster of fruit bodies half way up a the meeting by explaining the new committee beech tree which turned out to be Pholiota structure of the Society and how open to the aurivellus , a species with only a scatter of membership it is. Stuart Skeates (Vice- records existing in Scotland. This species has a President and Chair of the Field Mycology and slimy cap and relatively large spores but in Conservation Committee) highlighted how the many ways reminds of P. squarrosa . new structure gives groups greater access to BMS resources through the FMCC. Stuart also mentioned the new option for BMS members to access BMS Journals electronically. A demonstration of the new and rapidly developing website was given.

Paul Kirk updated the meeting on developments on the FRDBI and also in the mycology department at Kew where Martyn Ainsworth is now working, funded jointly by Kew and Natural England. Another mycology post should shortly be filled.

Fig. 5: Pholiota aurivella. (photo Bill Burns) The BMS Administrator, Norman Porrett gave his report and also the results of his Collections of Macrocystidia cucumis (see investigation into the need for foray leaders to ‘Scottish Fungi’ website – fungus of the month be checked by either the Criminal Records for November), Phaeolepiota aurea and some Bureau or the Independent Safeguarding spectacular fruiting of Tremella mesenterica on Authority. His conclusion is that this should not gorse made this a memorable last of the be necessary unless groups are running season foray. activities specifically aimed at children and at which parents or carers are not present.

Two interesting talks were given by Pete Stevens (Natural England) and Graeme Walker (Scottish Natural Heritage) about how their respective organisations are dealing with the conservation of fungi. Finances are tight in both organisations but a number of projects have been successfully undertaken.

Further updates were presented to the meeting by Liz Holden (progress on the data validation of the FRDBI and also the continued development of new Recommended English Fig. 6: Tremella mesenterica (photo Bill Burns) Names for fungi), Carol Hobart on the BMS foray programme and how it might develop and British Mycological Society Lynne Boddy on the BMS outreach programme including shows at Chelsea and Malvern, the (BMS) News th Edinburgh exhibitions, Fungi on the 4 Plinth – Website overhaul the Anthony Gormley art event in Trafalgar The new BMS website is gradually taking Square in which two mycologists took part to shape and looking much easier to navigate. It help raise the profile of fungi. is still accessible on the old address http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/ The weekend finished with a ‘questions to the panel’ session. Sheila Spence did an excellent job in organising the event and presenting a full and varied programme. Full minutes are available from the following link as a pdf

5 http://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/mycology/recor boletes and the research that is trying to sort it ding-network/ all out. There is obviously work still to do before Liz Holden we can be confident about what we call Boletus and what we call Xerocomus ! This was

followed by a lab session and access to a Contributions from GFG wonderful microscope that made looking at Members and Friends microscopic features a real joy.

Bolete Workshop We were delighted when Andy Taylor agreed to run a bolete workshop in August. Andy is one of the very few professional mycologists looking at the taxonomy and ecology of macro fungi and he is now living and working in our part of the world! He has been particularly interested in boletes for many years and has spent a lot of time trying to sort out the genus Xerocomus – still something of a taxonomic mess! Fig. 8: in the lab in Aberdeen (photo Liz Holden)

Friday evening kicked off with a fascinating talk Sunday morning we walked around the from Andy, looking at what boletoid fungi are grounds of the Macaulay and to our (some real surprises for folk there as the group amazement quickly found ourselves walking includes some resupinate species eg Serpula through a large patch of Boletus and Coniophora , as well as Scleroderma , appendiculatus again! Conditions must have Rhizopogon and Paxillus ), where they occur in been spot on for this fungus – interesting as a global context and a closer look at European many of the more usual bolete species were genera. We learned that some boletoid fungi thin on the ground. Nevertheless an interesting are thought to be parasitic rather than morning followed up by more work on the ectomycorrhizal and we also had a brief microscopes for those who wished. introduction into the world of ‘molecular clocks’ and how they can contribute to our Many thanks to Andy and Roxy for their time, understanding of fungal evolution. Andy’s expertise and patience and of course, the wonderful collection of bolete books was also Macaulay Land Use Research Institute in on the side to browse through. Aberdeen for allowing us to use their wonderful facilities. We had a weekend of great company and laughter and managed to learn lots at the same time. Liz Holden

Rare and interesting species from Kindrogan 2010 ‘Identifying fungi’ is an annual course hosted by Kindrogan Field Study Centre. The course is for anybody with an interest in identifying fungi and wanting to take it a little further than the Fig 7: in the field at Crathes (photo Liz Holden) pocket guide stage, particularly anybody wanting to make a start with a microscope. Liz Saturday morning we met up at Crathes Castle does the teaching and generally doesn’t have and had hardly left the car park before we were much time for detailed identifications but as trying (with varying degrees of success!) to ever, some interesting species were recorded. distinguish xerocomoid species – how thick is this cuticle? Highlight of the morning was Highlights from the week in 2010 included finding Boletus appendiculatus with the oak beautiful material of Mycoacia uda a lovely, there; not a commonly recorded species in bright yellow resupinate with little yellow teeth Scotland. Checking under the mature trees on the fertile surface. This was on fallen beech along the drive on the way back to Aberdeen branches at Birks of Aberfeldy and although after lunch was unproductive for fungi but we common in England, is infrequently recorded in did spot a beautiful comma butterfly – a first for Scotland. Faskally treated the group to lovely Crathes! material of Phaeolepiota aurea (Golden

Bootleg) from a nettle patch (classic habitat) Saturday afternoon Andy talked us through and the usual wonderful display of Ramaria some of the taxonomic difficulties amongst the stricta on the pile of wood chips. A trip to

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Killiecrankie by one of the group was rewarded with Lycoperdon echinatum , Clavariadelphus pistillaris and Strobilomyces strobilaceus .

Hare Myre gave us a good range of pine and birch species with the possibility of Boletus subappendiculatus from an area of mature pine. This is still waiting for DNA confirmation. As ever though, Speyside takes some beating for pine wood species and Coylumbridge did not disappoint. Spathularia flavida , Tricholoma stans , equestre and portentosum , Cortinarius laniger, traganus and camphoratus and eight Fig. 10: Geastrum quadrifidum (photo Liz Holden) species of tooth fungus with each of the four stipitate conservation interest genera Something as exciting as this sees the represented, amongst many other treasures. teetering pile of reports and data entry put on one side and a field visit launched to Blairgowrie! At first glance (mind you, my experience is somewhat limited living on Deeside where earthstars are few and far between) the site did not look at all what I would expect for earthstars but there they were - fruit bodies in all stages of development, some just emerging and others old and completely detached from the soil.

Some careful investigation at the base of the rays of a young star showed that they were definitely attached to a mycelial layer, this Fig. 9: Camarops polysperma (photo Liz Holden) arrangement is referred to as being fornicate and only occurs, in this country, in G. An addendum recorded by visiting Danish fornicatum and G. quadrifidum . Mycologist Peder Rabenborg during this week, was Camarops polysperma . Found near Some real earthstar lessons for me whilst Balmaha, this is a fascinating ascomycete that looking at this material. Many sites will produce forms a large black encrusting stroma on old several different species all growing in the alders (and occasionally other substrates). The same area, but just to confuse you it seems perithecia are cylindrical and arranged in that young and old stars of the same species parallel within the crust. Only a very few can also look very different. In this case the records from Scotland exist and this is spore bearing structure (endoperidium) of fresh definitely a species to look out for in this material looked more or less sessile and I could habitat. easily have gone down this route in the key, particularly if I had not noticed the presence of The course will run from Sept.9 th – 16 th in 2011 the mycelial cup that the rays of the star are and further information is available on attached to. This latter structure was much www.field-studies-council.org . more fragile than I had imagined from the Liz Holden description in the textbooks and could easily be overlooked particularly on older stars. Going

back to the differences between fresh and old A new star in Scotland stars though – there were old stars present at the site and these had a distinctly stipitate first collection of Geastrum quadrifidum A endoperidium. Interestingly David Pegler (Rayed Earthstar) for Scotland was made by suggests that the stipitate endoperidium in G. David MacMillan, who was visiting Blairgowrie, quadrifidum is most obvious in dry stars so the Perthshire in late October 2010. Material was question for me was to establish whether or not passed to Michael Jordan of the ABFG who, I was actually looking at older material of the being familiar with the species in the south of same species? Fortunately some of them had England, was able to identify it as the above vestiges of the mycelial material still attached species and passed the information on to Perth to the base of the rays and the spores and Kinross rangers. This was where I got appeared identical under oil immersion, so I felt involved as the rangers got in touch with me to pretty confident that they were. Lovely pink tints share the good news! on the inside of the rays and tiny crystalline granules all over the endoperidium were other characters present on the young stars all of which pointed to this particular species.

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Droppings (frass) like small dry pellets, although be aware that beetles can produce similar frass. Silk threads are another indicator of moth occupants. These threads are not as fine or sticky as a spider’s webbing and it should be noted that they are not always present. Emergence holes will be larger than fly larvae holes but again beetles can produce holes of a similar size. Empty pupal cases (cocoons) – if you find these, then the moths have already gone. It is Fig. 11: Geastrum quadridum (photo Liz Holden) however, well worth keeping the old fungus for a little longer as emergence can occur over Material was sent to Roy Watling and Carol quite a long time period and sometimes other Hobart who both agreed with Michael that it is moths are still to emerge. Their presence also indeed Geastrum quadrifidum . This is a really suggests a good place to look in the next year. exciting new species for Scotland. It is not The cocoons are usually inside the fungus but common in England either, mostly occurring in may be around the outer sheltered edges. the south (two records from Co. Durham) and on base rich sites with beech. A couple of How to collect and hatch? Remove some exceptions to that habitat in England were one pieces of likely brackets and keep them at with pine and one with yew, which is closer to normal temperatures, out of the sun and not in the habitat in Blairgowrie. an airtight container. The moths generally Liz Holden emerge in May, June and July.

Images are available online of many of the Moths and fungi – can you help? moths in the list below. They are mostly unlikely to feature in popular moth guides – Based on notes from Dr. Mark Young many of them fall into the category ‘micro moths’. If you would like any assistance or We are all aware that a fungal fruit body kept further advice, please contact Mark Young on on the bench too long will fairly rapidly [email protected] degenerate into a heaving mass of definitely put out fungus gnat larvae; indeed it is List of likely moth species and their becoming increasingly appreciated that preferred fungal host. invertebrates and fungi often have intimate • Archinemapogon yildizae – larvae relationships – an ecological partnership that overwinter until May on Piptoporus will undoubtedly benefit from further study. betulinus and Fomes fomentarius . A Something that I had not appreciated however highland specialist that should be on is that there are a group of moth species that Deeside. utilise the fruit bodies of certain fungi to • Dryadaula pactolia – larvae in all complete their life cycles. months on Rhacodium cellare (Cellar Fungus). Unlikely! Dr. Mark Young is an expert in moth recording • Esperia sulphurella – larvae over in the NE of Scotland and he wondered winter until June / July on fungal whether any of us would like to take an interest hyphae under dead bark. Common in in trying to generate some moth records from the south, rarer up here. the fungi. Most of the fungi involved are bracket • Nemapogon cloacella – larvae over fungi – the list below suggests which moths winter until June on any bracket fungi. might be found with which fungi. The Common everywhere. collections will mostly involve moth larvae and • Nemapogon picarella – larvae over pupae and Mark gives some advice below on winter until June on Piptoporus how best to assist with the successful betulinus and Inonotus radiatus (on emergence of the adult moth – which you alder). Very few recent records. would need to enable identification. • Schiffermulleria similella – larvae over winter until May on fungal hyphae How old a fruit body do moths require? The under dead bark. A northern species. first insects to utilise the fungi are the fungus • Triaxomera parasitella – larvae over gnats. Moths lay their eggs in fungi that are winter until May on various bracket already becoming decayed, thus occupying the fungi including Trametes versicolor . ‘mid-life’ decay stage. Very old fungi generally Scarce and local. only have beetles in them. • Triaxomera fulvimitrella – larvae over

winter until May on various bracket fungi. What signs might there be of moth occupation? Widespread. Liz Holden

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Thanks: The GFG would like to thank Residential Courses on Fungi member Walter Henrickson for the gift of the A number of field centres run courses on various book ‘Boletus’ by Jose Antonio Munoz. Keys aspects of mycology: - are in English and the book is full of wonderful Kindrogan Field Centre , Enochdu, Blairgowrie, Perthshire PH10 7PG Tel: 01250 870150. line drawings and photographs of fruit bodies. The Field Studies Council , Head Office, Preston Montford, Montford Bridge, Shrewsbury, Shropshire Front page photos: A tribute to the 2010 SY4 1HW Tel: 01743 850674. The FSC has centres Bolete Workshop by Mary Bain. See if you can located across England and Wales. spot Boletus.appendiculatus , B..badius , B. calopus , B. cisalpinus B crysenteron, B. Other Items of Mycological Interest For those who wish to take their mycology a little luridiformis and Chalciporus.piperatus . more seriously and tackle some of the more advanced identification keys, a microscope is Useful Fungal Information essential. The following three companies are those that I know of who will send out catalogues with The information given below is not exhaustive. If products suitable for our needs: Meiji Techno UK Ltd. Hillside, Axbridge, Somerset, you know of any other relevant contacts, please let BS26 2AN Tel: 01934 733 655 E-mail: Liz know. [email protected] Web Sites: www.meijitechno.co.uk www.microscopes.co.uk Books and Other Publications Brunel Microscopes Ltd . Unit 12 Enterprise Centre, There is a wide range of material available for all Bumpers Way, Bumpers Industrial Estate, levels of mycological interest - the only limit really Chippenham, Wilts. SN14 6QA Tel: 01294 462655 being one’s purse! Many books for beginners are Optical Vision Ltd., Unit 2b, Woolpit Business Park, available in good book stores but there are other Woolpit, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9RT Tel: sources that are useful to know about, especially as 01359 244200 one progresses beyond the limits of beginners Mycologue - a catalogue of accessories for guides. mushroom collectors available from 47, Spencer Rise, London NW5 1AR Paul Nichol has produced an excellent simple key to Micro Instruments Ltd., 18, Hanborough Park, Long genus called ‘An Initial Guide to the Identification Hanborough, Witney, Oxen OX29 8LH 01993 of Mushrooms and Toadstools’ . The new, 883595. This company sell compound and stereo improved third edition is available from Liz Holden, microscopes with good optics at very reasonable cost £5.50. prices. Quekett Microscopical Club – the club magazine The BMS have produced an excellent range of often has second hand microscopes for sale and ‘Guides For The Amateur Mycologist’. accepts ‘items wanted’ adverts too. The titles at present are ‘Guide for the Beginner’; ‘Guide to Identification with a Microscope’; ‘Guide to Recording Fungi’; ‘Guide for the Scottish Field Mycology – Yahoo Chatroom Kitchen Collector, Preservation and Cooking of The Scottish field mycology chat room is a wonderful Fungi’; ‘Downy Mildews, Powdery Mildews, facility for exchanging information and ideas. You can Smuts and Rusts’. Each costs £2.00. Individuals also use a spreadsheet posted on it to enter records can order directly from Gill Butterfill, Library, British – simply sign in and click on ‘databases’. Do check it Mycological Society, Wolfson Wing, Jodrell out and consider joining if you are not already a Laboratory, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey member. TW9 3AB. (There is also a set of 16 postcards of larger fungi costing £3.00 plus 50p post available [email protected] from the same address). http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/scottish_field_myc ology The BMS also publish KEYS which is a series of Click on the button ‘join this group’ and follow the papers containing a range of keys and checklists instructions. There is no cost in becoming a member. details of which are available from Liz Holden. There are now eleven issues of this publication available on the BMS website Grampian Fungus Group – books and equipment at Dec 2010 Many of the more advanced books and sets of identification keys are available from Retail Postal Book Sales Department, The Richmond Publishing The books, microscopes and chemicals are stored Co. Ltd ., PO Box 963, Slough SL2 3RS. It is by Liz Holden and can be obtained by ringing or certainly worth comparing their catalogue with those emailing Liz, preferably just before a meeting or of other natural history book specialists such as foray. Subbuteo and the Natural History Book Service. The following is a list of the books and other equipment that the GFG can supply / lend to its Association of British Fungus Groups produces a members. quarterly journal containing a range of material of interest to field mycologists. Annual subscription available from Michael Jordan, Harveys, Alston, Nr. Axminster, Devon EX13 7LG.

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Grampian Fungus Group Library Colour Encyclopedia of Mushrooms and Boletus (2005) one of the Fungi Europaei series, this Toadstools (1979) G. Kibby – a photographic essay book contains keys in English with many beautiful – coffee table book photographs of fruit bodies and line drawings of The Wonderful world of Mushrooms and other microscopic features. fungi (1977) H. Pursey – a photographic essay – Funga Nordica (2008) the updated keys building on coffee table book those published in Nordic Macromycetes below. All in I Funghi A collection of cards – each card illustrating English and if you have a microscope, well worth a species (text in Italian) trying. Photographing Nature: Fungi (1975) H. Angel – Microfungi on Land Plants (1997) a fascinating and lots of information about how to photograph fungi – a comprehensive guide – a real eye opener to the bit out of date? smaller fungi all around us. The fungi are listed under How the Mushroom Got its Spots (2002) An their host plant and can often be recognised from the Explainers’ Guide to Fungi. British Mycological macroscopic descriptions. Society and Biotechnology & Biological Sciences MycoKey – 1.0 (2003) this is a computer-based key Research Council that is run from a CD. It is great fun to use, with one Fungus Fred goes Foraying (2002) Maggie Hadley. key designed for complete beginners and another for British Mycological Society more experienced mycologists. The keys cover 500 The Fungi Name Trail (2003) A key to commoner genera. fungi. Field Studies Council / British Mycological Nordic Macromycetes Vol. 2 (1992). A set of keys Society (in English) for Polyporales, Boletales, Agaricales Recommended English Names for Fungi (2003) and Russulales – not intended for beginners this is The Plantlife Bookstore really what you need when you start identifying fungi Collecting and Recording Fungi (2004) Guidance with a microscope. Notes. British Mycological Society. Keys to Agarics and Boleti (1978). A set of keys (in Identification of the Larger Fungi (1973) R. English) for Polyporales, Boletales, Agaricales and Watling. Don’t be mislead by the date – this is a first Russulales) – as above but a little older – still a very class introduction to working with macro fungi and useful text. well worth a read. Mushrooms of Britain and Europe (1999). A pocket sized photographic field guide by Regis Grampian Fungus Group Microscopes and Courtecuisse in the Collins Wildlife Trust Guide miscellaneous equipment series, published by HarperCollins Waxcap-Grassland Fungi – Keys to Hygrocybe, 1 x Wessex compound binocular microscope with Camarophyllopsis, Dermoloma and grassland built in light source and mechanical stage Leptonia species in Britain (1996) Alick Henrici – a 3 x Watson compound monocular microscopes with set of photocopied keys using microscopic characters built in light source and mechanical stage A key to the genera of the Agarics and Boleti Equipment - mostly for working with microscopes (1950) AA Pearson. Rather out of date but still a NB the chemicals come with health and safety useful key to genus using microscopic characters information and are supplied in appropriate Guides for the Amateur Mycologist 2. Guide to dispensers. There is a charge of £1.00 a bottle. Identification with a microscope (1994) JVR Glass microscope slides Marriott Full of useful information about working with Glass cover slips a microscope Melzer’s Reagent Flora of British Fungi Colour Identification Chart 10% Ammonia solution (1969) A colour chart, referred to in some British 10% Potassium hydroxide solution texts. Congo Red in ammoniacal solution The Mitchell Beazley pocket guide to Mushrooms Ferrous crystals and Toadstools (1982) DN Pegler – a small field 1 x Bell-Howell slide projector and transit case. guide arranged by habitat. Accepts carousels. Chatto Nature Guides British and European Mushrooms and Fungi (1977) A. Neuner – not very many species included but some very nice photographs Fungi of Britain and Europe (1989) Stephan Buczacki – pocket field guide illustrated with drawings – a good range of species included A Colour Guide to familiar Mushrooms (1978) M.Svrcek – a pocket field guide illustrated with nice drawings although not many species included Mushrooms (1996) M. Svrcek a pocket field guide – illustrated with photographs – a much better range of species The new field guide to fungi (1978) E. Soothill and A Fairhurst – reasonable amount of text and species although photographs are rather disappointing A handbook of Mushrooms undated A. Pilat. Not very many species included: illustrated with drawings Les Champignons de France (1946) A. Maublanc. Not very many species included: illustrated with rather nice drawings Fungi (1998) P. Starosta and C Epinat A photographic essay – coffee table book

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