1 Shropshire Fungus Group Newsletter

Contents SPRING 2011 NUMBER 10 Foray Reports Page 1 Pictures from the Public Foray Page 3 Some conifer associated fungi found in Wyre Forest Page 4 A Dream Come True Page 5 The White Thistle Mystery Page 6 Eye Sight Test Page 6 Sightings Page 7 Mycological tool or offensive weapon. Page 8 BMS Forays in Shropshire Page 9 Foray Reports Marasmius androsaceus, M. rotula and Paxillus involutus., but also some unusual Russulas, i.e. R. parazurea, R. graveolens, Saturday 24th April Severn Valley Country Park. Leader Roy R. violeipes and R. sororia. The star of Stoke Wood was Mantle. Amanita crocea found at the side of the path. On the way back to the car park Inonotus hispidus was fruiting on an ash tree On Spring forays you look forward to seeing certain species, near one of the stiles. and this foray ticked many of those boxes. The brilliant orange- red fruit bodies of the Scarlet Elf Cup are a feature of the park early in the year and a few turned up during the foray. Verpa Saturday 11th September Llynclys Common Nature Reserve. conica and Mitrophora semilibera were also found. Another Leader Harvey Morgan feature of the Park is Pachyella violaceonigra a dark cup fungus which favours waterlogged substrates. This had been found The path up to the common from the car park was steep but before by John Bingham in 1996 and is a very rare fungus. was also wooded and it was here that we found most fungi. Whilst most were common we did find Chlorociboria aeruginascens, Lactarius pyrogalus and Inocybe fraudans. L. pyrogalus is associated most often with hazel and has (as the name suggests) extremely hot milk. This is not a common fungus but 2010 seemed to be a good year for it as it was found in a number of locations. I. fraudans (= I. pyriodora) is said to smell of ripe pears! This one did smell fruity, but pears!! It was confirmed microscopically. Out on the grassy common we only found a few species but one was the lovely orange Hygrocybe intermedia On the way back to the cars we were shown a location where the unusual plant Herb Paris grows. In the afternoon we went over the road to Dolgoch Quarry, a strange place full of hills and gullies but in the main, well wooded. Here we found Lactarius deterrimus under what looked like small Christmas trees. Other notable species were Geastrum triplex, the very scaly Lepiota aspera, and Mycena Pachyella violaceonigra © John Bingham heamatopus, a small tufted fungus that “bleeds” red latex from the broken stems. Saturday 14th August Stoke Wood Leader Les Hughes. We started off from the car park at Geastrum triplex © Roy Mantle Stokesay Castle across fields to Sallow Coppice. From here we crossed another field to Stoke Wood. This was meant to be a morning foray followed by a pub lunch, however we found so much in Sallow coppice that it was lunch time before we reached Stoke Wood. Good things were being found and so it was decided to foray on and get a sandwich at the Discovery Centre later. Amanita crocea © Roy Mantle Sallow Coppice produced a wealth of common species such as 2

Sunday 26th September. Clee Hill. Leaders John and Denise The grassland provided some good Waxcaps such as Bingham. Hygrocybe coccinea, psittacina, russocoriacea and splendidissima as well as clavaria fragilis. Also found was the The season was very good for fungi and getting better all the biggest Cep I have ever seen. time and this area was good last year and so expectations were Considering the amount of advertising that went out the high. We made our way down a hedge row towards Cramer response was mediocre and most of the people had just come Gutter through an area of grassland, birch and oak. There were for a afternoon out. Despite the wealth of material and the a number of very large Boletus luridiformis (=B. erythropus) and amount of expertise available we did not recruit one new B. edulis both in the hedge and the field beyond. In the wetter member. We did split the entrance fee with the park and made places, growing in the sphagnum, was Hypholoma elongatum, a £14. fungus that I have seen only a couple of times before. There was quite a lot of dead gorse around and it did not take long to Sunday 17th October. Dudmaston. Leader Roy Mantle. find a fungus which is specific to this habitat, Daldinia fissa. This is very similar to Daldinia concentric (King Alfred’s Cakes) This annual autumn foray followed the usual pattern and the morning was spent in Comer Wood. Here we found a wonderful specimen of Otidea onotica and the uncommon Paxillus atromentosus. This can be quite a large fungus which grows at

Daldinia fissa © Roy Mantle except that it is smaller and of course specific to this habitat. In the afternoon we crossed the road and walked across the Otidea onotica © Roy Mantle common where we found a number of Waxcaps but the most surprising find was Amanita ceciliae. It was young but was the base of stumps and has a black velvety stem. Also in the obviously going to be very large. This was a first for me. Another wood was Macrolepiota gracilenta, a lovely slender parasol and road was crossed and we eventually came to a wood which was a cousin Cystolepiota seminuda. mainly conifer but had some beech trees near the entrance and On the way to the Dingle in the afternoon Amanita phalloides at the base of one of the these was a nice specimen of Grifola was found in the grass amongst the birch trees. The highlight of frondosa. the Dingle was the beautiful Rhodotus palmatus. This fungus grows on elm hence it is quite uncommon now. The fruitbodies Sunday 2nd October. Severn Valley Country Park. A public are felty, gelatinous and wrinkled and pale apricot in colour. foray. Another unusual find was Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformis (The Goblet). Its upturned cap makes a cup shape which gives it its This event was organised jointly between the Country Park and common name. ourselves. We hoped that this may introduce some more members. The SFG pulled out all the stops and there was a Sunday 31st October. Whixall Moss. Leader Roy Mantle. magnificent display of labelled “live” fungi (provided by members), books and pictures. Members turned out in good In the morning we were taken round by Dr. Joan Daniels the numbers to assist, advise, and lead he public around the park. Senior Reserve Manager and we started in a wet area near to Two groups set out to different parts of the area and the finds the car park at Morris’s Bridge. This had very long wet grass were brought back at the end of the day for identification and and in amonst it were a number of spectacular fruitbodies of display. Volvariella gloiocephala, a large pink spored species. In the wet There was a wonderful array of Milk Caps in the birch scrub deciduous woodland around the moss was Leccinum variicolor including L. torminosus, L. pubescens, and the rare L. citriolens. which is very similar to L. scabrum except that when the stem is

Hygrocybe coccinea © Roy Mantle 3

More pictures from the Public Foray at the Severn Valley Country Park The fact that only four people are shown does not mean that these are the only ones who took part. Many members helped to make the day go well. Thanks are due to them all for a splendid effort.

Left is our display table at the start of the event. Members were still arriving with more specimens. Below Shirley, Cherry and Harvey are busy labelling the exhibits Bottom Cherry, Shirley, Harvey and Martin are finalising the display.

Above Clavaria fragilis photographed by John Bingham. One of the many species found in the grassland in the park. 4

(continued on page 4) Some conifer associated fungi found in Wyre cut longitudinally blue colour develops at the base with pink Forest - Rhizopogon luteolus Fr. (Yellow False Truffle) nearer the top. These two fungi are often found growing and Rhizina undulata Fr. (Pine Firefungus) and together. We did venture onto the moss to look for more Auriscalpium vulgare, S. F. Gray. (Earpick Fungus). specialised fungi but only found Hypholoma elongatum growing John Bingham in the sphagnum. (This had also been found earlier in the season on the Clee Hill). Rhizopogon luteolus is an uncommon hypogeous (underground) In the afternoon we were left to our own devises in Bettisfield fungus associated with Scots pine and appears to be rare in the Moss. The area that we forayed was a wet woodland of birch forest. The fruit body is between 1.5–5cm across, ovate to and alder. Inonotus radiatus was found here but growing on globose, whitish at first then dirty ochre-yellow covered in tawny birch rather than the more usual alder. In an open mossy mycelial strands. It typically occurs in Scottish pine woods. clearing was the interesting Lichenomphalia umbellifera . As the name suggests this is a lichenised fungus and I have found a During the WFSG slug and fungus day on 30th October 2010 a specimen where the green dots of the algal partner have been number of R. luteolus were discovered under Scots pine at present around the base of the stem. This mossy clearing also Longdon Wood. They were falling victim to the lemon slug, a had Laccaria laccata growing amongst the moss. case of one rare species eating another, but there appeared to be a good colony of fungi and able to cope with the ravages of a few slugs. Another location for the fungus in 2010 was discovered at Malpass Woods which brought the total I am aware of to three sites, all with substantial numbers. It may be Saturday 13th Nov. Mortimer Forest. Leaders John & Denise more common than realised with Scots pines but being partly Bingham buried it can easily be missed. During the morning we forayed in the oak woodland behind the Forestry Commission buildings and found a good selection of Recent research has established that Rhizopogon is a member species including Mycena heamatopus which we has found of the Boletales, closely related to the genus Suillus, that include earlier in the year in Dolgoch Quarry. It often happens that the larch bolete. All species of Rhizopogon are ectomycorrhizal some fungi don’t appear for years and then, when the conditions (forming a beneficial union) on tree roots and are playing an are right, it fruits all over the place. Also fruiting on an old stump important role in the ecology of coniferous forests. was Cudoniella acicularis – a tiny pale agaric only a few millimetres across. We had lunch on a seat overlooking Mary Knoll Valley. On the return journey the keen eyes of Denise found Marasmius hudsonii. This is another even smaller agaric with “hairs” growing out of the cap. This species is easy to identify but difficult to find. Later in the afternoon we looked is the conifer plantation over the road, and here on a dead fruitboby of Russula nigricans was Asterophora parasitica. This fungus only grows on the dead fruitbodies of other fungi.

Rhizopogon luteolus © John Bingham

Another uncommon fungus that appeared in some numbers in October 2010 was Auriscalpium vulgare. This small species is saprobic on decayed buried decaying pine cones, typically Scots pine. It has a long thin stem about 2-4cm long and a small dark brown cap with spines on the underside. We have found numerous specimens out in open grassland within the woodland. Birds or small mammals must have moved the Marasmius hudsonii © John Bingham cones and buried them away from the woodland.

Auriscalpium vulgare © John Bingham Asterophora parasitica © Roy Mantle 5

Finally another conifer associate found in 2010 was Rhizina undulata . As far as I am aware this was the first recent record of this scarce fungus from the forest, certainly a new species for me in Wyre. This was found on a fire site in a forestry clear fell area at Longdon Wood, where Douglas fir had been removed and the brash burnt.

The fungus is 4–10 cm across, 3-8 cm high, chestnut brown in colour with a paler margin. It forms irregularly lobed cushions that are attached to the ground by numerous thick whitish rhizoids growing from the underside. It is normally disliked by foresters as it causes a serious disease of conifers called group dying. In this case the area was cleared as part of the reversion back to native broadleaf under the Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) restoration. RhizinaRhizina undulata undulata Although most conifer species are not native to the forest © John Bingham having some introduced conifers helps increase the overall © John Bingham biodiversity and whilst we may dislike the even-age plantations of dark spruce, having a few conifer in the forest is perhaps not a bad thing!

A Dream Come True – Roy Mantle.

Some years ago, during a foray in Wigmore rolls, a piece of the cap of what was obviously a reasonably large fungus was handed to Ted Blackwell. I though at the time that there was no chance of a positive ID. The fragment was tawny and felty with no other visible useful characters. A few days later however and Ted had the ID. It was, he said, Phaeolepiota aurea, easily identified under the microscope because the cap cuticle is made up of sphaerocysts (spherical cells). I looked this up in a book and saw this wonderful golden fungus and thought that I would love to see one of those, even the common name The Golden Bootleg sounds as though it is a special fungus. A couple of years later Harvey turned up at one of our meeting in Church Stretton with a whole, perfect fruitbody and it was certainly a magnificent thing. This time I thought, I would love to see that growing in the wild. This year I was talking to Les and he said quite casually that P. aurea was fruiting again in Wrekin Wood. My immediate reaction was “when can we go”. A couple of days later Les took me to the site, a ferny depression about five or six meters across and along the one edge were several fruitbodies of this charismatic fungus in several stages of growth. I was armed with a camera and took some nice pictures. A dream come true. 6

THE WHITE THISTLE MYSTERY (or it may not be snow you are looking at on thistles!)

For several years, dramatically pure white shoots of the creeping thistle, Cirsium arvense (see picture) have surprised walkers in some parts of Britain and in America. Common everywhere, the thistle weed has not been seen to have white shoots in neither the Midlands (Shropshire, Herefordshire etc.) nor the Welsh Marches. It has been found in a variety of places in Kent and Suffolk – more recently in Anglesey and Carmarthenshire. It is now certain that this is a bacterial disease, caused by a bacterium in the genus Pseudomonas. It is not caused by a fungus, but any sightings of this phenomenon from anywhere in Britain or abroad would be carefully added to the records if you let me know. Nothing is known about its mode of spreading. Usually bacterial diseases are spread in obvious ways, but so far plant pathologists have not made sense of sheep grazing, mowing, aphids or any other method by which it spreads from A to B. Tom Preece. I

Fungi, Mosses and Liverworts: an eyesight test Tom Preece. the trees and also on the ground. There are liverworts in the wetter places, especially the We talk about fungi being everywhere, but there are delicate leafy liverworts. Although difficult to find, some places we do not look for them! Thus we read tiny fungi, mostly ascomycetes, with little lovely cups in the DICTIONARY OF FUNGI (2008) produced by or apothecia, 0.5 to 2.0 mms across, which are the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux that “the generally brown, orange or red, can be found. presence of fungi on the leaves of mosses and Though I must admit I have had little success so far! liverworts seems to be a frequent universal One species is a black, tiny spiderlike fungus on the phenomenon. These fungi are normally totally leaves of the leafy liverwort genus Plagiochila, neglected, despite their number and frequency”. As S.D.S. Bosanquet has recently found it in several we walk on places in South Wales and has kindly provided the forays picture shown here. We are now in a better position through to identify more of the host mosses and liverworts, woods, because of the 2010 publication of a superb especially in practical identification book, packes with illustrations wetter in colour – MOSSES AND LIVERWORTS OF places, and BRITAIN AND IRELAND by Atherton, Bosanquet we are and Mark Lawley (of Ludlow). I hope we will keep always our eyes open (with backs bent) for these struck by the apparently very common fungi on mosses and brilliant liverworts in 2011. I would be keen to identify any green of finds. Tom Preece mosses on The green “boxes” are the cells of the liverwort leaf. 7

Sightings. Cherry has sent two very nice pictures and says “I have seen Cortinarius violaceus this year in Herefordshire, not recorded since the nineteen century and Aleuria aurantia growing like lettuces in a Worcestershire woodland.”

Comments Ed. Aleuria aurantia (above) is fairly common but the specimens Cherry has seen have cups are at least 12cm(7ins) across. Cortinarius violaceus (right) is a rare fungus but is found in the Wyre Forest in Shropshire. I had never seen this fungus in the wild but a member of the public found one on a foray I was leading for the Forestry Commission in Earnwood Copse in the Wyre Forest. 8

Mycological tool or offensive weapon. DESMOND GARCIA DEEGAN 1998) upheld the Harris ruling stating that "folding was held to mean non-locking". No leave to Earlier this year an article appeared in a national newspaper Which appeal was granted. should be noted by us all. The gist is laid out below. The maker of official Swiss Army Knives has given advice on A DISABLED man who kept a penknife in his car for which tools to buy to avoid arrest, after a retired engineer picnics has been convicted of possessing an offen- Rodney Knowles was prosecuted for possession of an offensive sive weapon. weapon. Rodney Knowles, 61, who is a full-time carer for his wife and walks with a stick, was stopped on The case provoked widespread outrage from groups including suspicion of drink driving. He was below the sailors, farmers, campers and ramblers, who say the original limit, but police found the Swiss Army knife in scouting and adventure essential accessory is a must-have the glove box. Knowles, from Newton Abbot, Devon, piece of kit for their activities. pleaded guilty at Torbay magistrates' court and was given a conditional discharge. He said later: "It's a stupid law. Now I have a criminal record. Now, Garry Woodhouse, UK spokesman for manufacturer The knife was in my glove box in a pouch, with a Wengerhas said knives are so essential that everyday life could torch, first aid kit and waterproofs." not function without them. Mr Jolyon Tuck, defending, told the court that Knowles used the knife to cut up fruit on picnics He said it is important to ensure the blade does not lock – with his wife. He said: "The law is very clear. He otherwise it is legally regarded the same as a fixed-blade knife. accepts it was in his car." Knowles was ordered to Anyone carrying one in a public place needs to have a good pay £40 costs and the knife was forfeited. reason.

Mr Woodhouse said the BuckWhittakerknife, which Mr Knowles Ted has found out the following: - claimed he used for cutting fruit on picnics, did have a locking blade. As a result of circulating an item about a prosecution for carrying a Swiss Army knife, I have received some information about He said: "If he had been carrying a knife with a folding non- "Carrying Knives in Public". lockable blade with a cutting edge of less than three inches, he It seems that a folding non-lockable knife with a cutting edge of would not have had to show good reason for carrying it in a less than three inches is alright (providing it is not used as an public place. offensive weapon). "People should be aware that as strange as it may seem, your I have been sent the following: car is still defined as a public place if parked on a public street, even if it is locked." The Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 1988 mainly relates to carrying knives in public places, Section 139 being the most important. But, in law, any otherwise innocent object, such as a bottle or a brick, could count as an "offensive weapon" if there is evidence "It is an offence for any person, without lawful authority or good that the bearer intends to use it to cause harm. reason, to have with him in a public place, any article which has a blade or is sharply pointed except for a folding pocket-knife which has a cutting edge to its blade not exceeding 3 inches." I hope you find that more re-assuring, so, Good Hunting, [CJA 1988 section 139(1)] Ted Blackwell The phrase "good reason" is intended to allow for "common sense" possession of knives, so that it is legal to carry a knife if there is a bona fide reason to do so. Examples of bona fide reasons which have been accepted include: a knife required for ones trade (e.g. a chefs knife), as part of a national costume (e.g. a sgian dubh), or for religious reasons (e.g. a Sikh Kirpan).

In this case, public place is meant as anywhere accessible to the public, so for example a private campsite, which members of the public must book to use, is a public place. Also, knives should only be carried to and from and used at the location where they are needed. For example, leaving a knife in a car for use when you go fishing would be illegal. It should be taken back into the house each time you use the car (other than to go fishing). [1]

The special exception which exists in the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (s139) for folding knives (pocket knives) is another "common sense" measure accepting that some small knives are carried for general utility however even a folding pocket knife of less than 3" (76mm) may still be considered an offensive weapon if carried or used for that purpose. It was a long held common belief that a folding knife must be non-locking for this Verpa conica © Roy Mantle provision to apply.

A Crown Court case (Harris v DPP), ruled (case law). A lock I was at a loss as to what to fill this space with but I thought it knife for all legal purposes, is the same as a fixed blade knife. A might be nice to use this picture of Verpa conica. This picture folding pocket knife must be readily foldable at all times. If it has was taken on Llynclys Common some years ago but it was seen a mechanism that prevents folding, it's a lock knife (or for legal on our Spring foray to the SVCP this year. purposes, a fixed blade) The Court of Appeal (REGINA - v - 9

BMS FORAYS IN SHROPSHIRE Three years later the BMS made another excursion into 1909 - 1937 Shropshire, this time on the occasion of the 1912 Spring Foray based at Worcester. The Severn Valley railway was again TED BLACKWELL utilised, and "on their arrival at Linley Station at 11-21 am, Mr W B Allen.....at once led them to the adjoining Caughley Wood". The past occasions when the British Mycological Society visited This time fungi are listed according to the site from which Shropshire have been all too few, with few in recent years, until collections were made, and Caughley Wood produced about 80 the last in 1998 based on Preston Montfort. The return after so fungi and 10 Myxomycetes, a creditable score for a spring foray. many years of the BMS to the county for the 1998 Autumn It is interesting to note from this Foray Report the dedicated Foray prompts a dip into history. For reasons that can only be interest of the wife of the Society's Secretary and Treasurer: the guessed at, an interval of 61 years separates the 1998 Preston account mentions that 1368 original paintings by Mrs Carlton Montford meeting from the previous event in 1937. Rea were exhibited at this meeting and displayed in the Worcester Art gallery, "the result of twenty-four years' study". The first official BMS Foray to be held in Shropshire took place Amongst these certain species were stated as "new to Science" only 13 years after the inauguration of the BMS. That was in including Tricholoma horribile (T. orirubens); Chlorospora eyrei 1909, from Friday 28th May to Tuesday 1st June, when (Melanophyllum eyrei) and Leptonia serrulata (Entoloma members assembled at Shrewsbury on the Friday evening in serrulatum) and "new aditions to the British Fungus Flora" the George Hotel. During the days following, sites within easy included Hebeloma sacchariolens and Psaliota xanthoderma reach of Shrewsbury were visited. A young local mycologist, (Agaricus x.) William Allen1, a native of nearby Benthall, whose name crops up repeatedly in Shropshire mycology about this time, was Only another five years were to elapse before the BMS were in clearly acting in the role of 'local foray secretary'. Not only was Shropshire again, this time in the autumn, based on he the obvious person to undertake this task, being already Shrewsbury, for the twenty-first annual foray on 24th-29th knowledgeable about suitable sites and on good enough terms September 1917. There seems little doubt that William Allen's with landowners, but he may well have instigated the proposal influence was still at work as they were again quartered in The that the BMS hold a foray in Shropshire. The Foray report says George, "where a room was reserved for the exclusive use of that over 194 species were collected and "this satisfactory result the Society" (apparently, no dependence on the Caradoc Club was entirely due to the excellent arrangements that our fellow- this time) and they visited many of the previous sites. We are member Mr. W. B. Allen had made". However, the fungi were given a sober reminder of First World War times by a note listed without provenance, so these records cannot be allotted saying "pressure of war work prevented Mr. A. D. Cotton2 from with certainty to any specific site. supplying us with this paper", a paper on fungicides which Cotton had earlier agreed to do. In our car-dependant and traffic-ravaged times it is salutary to think that on the very early Shropshire forays travelling to sites On the first evening while the party were assembling, Miss Elsie was probably by train, Shrewsbury lying at the hub of a radiating Wakefield3 "placed out on exhibition some eggs of a rare network of lines. Moreover they were not averse to walking phalloid .... collected at Chiswick ..... we should refer them to distances from railway to site which some of us today might Lysurus australiensis4", probably what today is called Lysurus grumble at. With the exception of the line to Bayston Hill, all the old railway-lines to their foraying sites disappeared long ago cruciatus, and "Mr. A. A. Pearson5 brought from Wimbledon a either through bankruptcy or under the Beeching axe, and apart specimen that he referred to Galera antipus (Conocybe from the occasional map legend "dismantled railway", leave only antipus)". traces today of their former existence. On the first foraying day "the members assembled at the railway During the initial Shropshire foray they first travelled to Linley station and booked the 10.05 am train to Plowden, via the station that lies in the Severn Valley between Bridgnorth and Craven Arms". Reference to "the Craven Arms" is significant. Coalport. There they alighted for Caughley Wood, a name no When the railways arrived at this formerly important junction the longer found on the map, but identified as Bradley's Coppice on station was named from the existing inn, hence "the Craven modern Ordnance maps. Caughley Wood was obviously well Arms", the inn itself being named from the Earls of Craven, known to William Allen who is mentioned in several reports as major Shropshire landowners. The lowly branch line to Plowden offering "to conduct them through Caughley Wood", and this site that terminated at Bishops Castle was closed in 1935 having crops up as the provenance in a number of old records. On the never paid a dividend and only traces of it remain on the ground same day they visited Tickwood, close to Allen's home, where today, part of the track-bed forming the delightful Onny Trail one might reasonably guess that Allen was on good terms with footpath. It is said that train journeys progressed so slowly and the Lord of the Manor. Tickwood is some miles further north and intermittently that passengers could leap from their carriages to was accessed then from Buildwas Junction Station, next stop pick mushrooms and easily catch up the train. At Plowden they along from the now world-renowned Ironbridge. Clearly they were met by Mr R. Parry who led them first across the bridge spent time at one site before travelling by later train to the next. over the river Onny, then through Plowden Woods, and across fields in the direction of Plowden Hall. The grassland "yielded The following day they went to Longden Manor "for Lincroft Pool many specimens" amongst which were noted Eccilia and Oak Hill Wood". These sites are close to the present day griseorubella (Entoloma griseorubidum), Geoglossum Shropshire Wildlife Trust's reserve of Earl's Hill, Lincroft Pool ophioglossoides and Clavaria fumosa. After "luncheon" the walk and Longden Manor being about a mile east of Pontesbury that continued through the woods towards the road to Bishops was at that time on a branch line ending at Minsterly. At the foot Castle during which "Lepiota fulvella Rea (new to science6) and of Earl's Hill named on modern maps is 'Oaks Wood' which is Boletus porphyrosporus (Porphyrellus pseudoscaber) were the 'Oak Hill Wood' referred to above, still a prime foraying site. collected. Miss Wakefield subsequently reported the finding of On the third day Bayston Hill station was the destination for Polyporus stipticus (Posta stiptica) which is an addition to the Bomere and Shomere Pools where the surrounding woods British list". yielded a large crop of Agarics, and on the final day they forayed at "Haughmond Abbey and adjoining woods", which if they went The account continues: "It was past four o'clock when the by train must have been a fair step from the nearest railway halt highway was reached and over two miles of this had to be somewhere along the Wellington line. The report ends with traversed before they could rejoin the other members who had thanks being expressed "to the Caradoc Society for placing their accompanied the President7 and Mr Parry to Walcot Park. Here Club Room and microscopes at our disposal". 10 they were most hospitably entertained to tea by the Earl and scarce, members spent a happy and interesting time amongst Countess of Powis and great regret was expressed that the time plenty of fallen wood on the slopes of the hill, the resupinate did not allow for the investigation of Walcot Woods. The return Basidiomycetes being fairly well represented. Melampsorella train was taken from Plowden station at 5.55 p.m. and at symphyti on Symphytum x uplandicum was found in a field and Horderley [the next stop up the line] Miss Lister8 rejoined the it is worth a special mention that this was the first record party having, after luncheon, accompanied Messrs W.B. Allen worldwide of telia of this rust being found. Tea at the Boyne Arms was followed by a visit to the church where mycology and W.N. Cheesman9 in a walk through the woods bordering the continued and Puccinia mirabilissma (Cumminsiella m.) was Onny valley." collected on Mahonia aquifolium. At 9 o'clock that evening the Annual General Meeting was held, On Sunday, after a morning kept free for working on material (note this, an AGM of practising field mycologists fresh from a already collected, the party walked the half-mile or so from the day's field mycology) the President taking the chair, at which Angel Hotel across the River Teme to Whitcliffe Woods. But dry officers for the ensuing year were elected. The Hon. Treasurer conditions seemed to have resulted in little of interest being [Carlton Rea10] reported "they now numbered one hundred and noted except that "Mr Petch11 secured specimens of Stromatinia forty four members and had enrolled ten new members since baccarum (Monilinia b.) on old fruits of Vaccinium myrtillis". the New Forest foray" and "the credit balance at the post office saving's bank showed a balance of twenty one pounds and Next day "the party travelled by motor to a point not far from eight shillings". (The value of the pound then was probably Richard's Castle and worked up into Haye Park Woods finishing worth about 50 times today's value). in Mary Knoll Valley". These sites are in fact just over the county boundary in Herefordshire but even today continue to be good The morning of the next day was devoted to placing on foraying grounds. The oak woods were reported to be "not so exhibition the less common species collected the previous day, good as those at Burwarton" but the weather was perfect and but "at noon the members drove from the headquarters to the walk through the woods compensated for any dearth of Haughmond Abbey". This implies they did not go by train and specimens. "Along the roadside on the way back to Ludlow, Mr. although a horse-drawn vehicle cannot be ruled out it seems 12 likely motorised transport was used, and one wonders if the Ramsbottom collected several rusts and other microfungi previous visit to Haughmond in 1909 involved too great a which helped to swell the list for the day". During the weekend, distance to be walked in a limited time. From here they various members contributed additional records from the progressed though the woods to the village of Uffington from grounds of Ludlow castle, a mere two minutes walk from the which "the return drive was taken to Shrewsbury". In the Angel Hotel. A notable absence is that of William Allen, who evening, at 9 o'clock, the President, Miss A. Lorrain Smith, sadly had died in 1922. delivered her presidential address entitled Relation of Fungus Hyphae to other Organisms. The fourth Shropshire BMS Foray took place in September 1937 when the Society again assembled in Ludlow for the 45th William Allen met the members about noon next day at Buildwas Autumn Foray. The Angel Hotel was again its headquarters, Junction station and led them across the fields to the woods of where "an excellent display room was placed at the disposal of Tickwood, on the way collecting amongst other finds the Society". Tichoglossum hirsutum and Clitopilus cretatus (C. scyphoides). Many species were found in the woods, the party eventually For the initial excursion a "large party left by car" for Haye Park arriving at Tickwood Hall about 4.30 p.m. where "Mrs. Heywood Wood and Mary Knoll Valley where species of Entomophthora, welcomed them to a dainty tea". That evening there were more Anthostoma dryophilum and Colpoma quercinum received papers read, firstly by Mr. Cheesman on The British particular mention in the report. Tremellinae, followed by Miss Wakefield with Observations on some Sand-Dune Fungi. Next day the party took the 11.15 a.m. On the following day most of the party walked to Whitcliffe bus to Baystone Hill, walking from there across the fields to Woods where amongst other finds "Mr. Pearson collected Bomere woods and pool, the woods proving too overgrown and Flammula limulata (Flammulaster limulatoides)" and during the dry, with the exception of the lower portions adjoining the water late afternoon "Mr Ramsbottom conducted a party to where "which yielded an abundant crop of Mycetozoa" [Myxomycetes}. Phyllactinia corylea (Ph. guttata), Erysiphe tortilis, and Uncinula The party returned to headquarters about 6 o'clock, and the Aceris (U. bicornis) were extremely abundant. Certain University paper that evening was read by Mr Pearson on Two Spored Departments 'laid in' a considerable stock of material as a Basidia result". The next day the party travelled to Boyne Park, Burwarton, a site already familiar to some from a previous visit. On the final day, William Allen led them through Caughley Here "many members looked forward to high-class collecting. Wood, near Linley station where "many scarce fungi were The hot weather was rather against this but the collected". phytopathologists spent a profitable time in the kitchen and flower gardens" where Puccina Pruni-spinosa (Tranzschelia Fifteen years were to pass before the BMS next visited pruni-spinosa) and Puccinia mirabilissma (Cumminsiella m.) Shropshire, the venue being in the south of the county at were collected. At 4.30 pm at the end of "a pleasant but not Ludlow. This was the Spring Foray of May 1932, where the particularly productive excursion" everyone adjourned for a headquarters were The Angel Hotel in Broad Street, now no welcome tea at the Boyne Arms. It appears from the list that longer a hotel but converted to shops and flats. The record several Agaric records were from a nearby hamlet of Hopton shows they found the hotel comfortable and convenient and "a Cangeford, perhaps a diversionary sally from the main route. good room was available for meetings and the display of specimens". The third day took them to Kinlet Park near Cleobury Mortimer in the south-east of the county where in the morning "fine The weekend started wet, but on the Saturday morning, despite specimens of Hypoxylon howeanum were collected on Corylus the rain, a party of fifteen "travelled in a special omnibus" to but little else of interest was observed" (a surprising assertion!) Burwarton between Ludlow and Bridgnorth, in the shadow of the although "good specimens of Trametes mollis (Datronia mollis) Brown Clee Hill, alighting at the Boyne Arms. There they were were obtained" in the afternoon along the stream draining High met by the head keeper of the Burwarton estate "who conducted Wood. them safely past forbidden preserves and left them to wander at will on the slopes of the Brown Clee Hill". The rain ceased by On the last day some members departed for home but a small midday, and while owing to the cold spring the larger fungi were party travelled to Downton Castle for a final excursion. This was 11 another digression into Herefordshire but the uniqueness of the particularly myxomycetes; Founder member of the BMS, site is ample excuse for straying across the border. Here, and President 1925. resulting from ice-age glacial diversion, the river Teme has cut a deep cleft between precipitous limestone cliffs, and deciduous 10 Carlton Rea, a Founder member of the BMS, and for woodland clings to the riversides. Today, Downton Gorge is a thirty-four years Secretary, Treasurer, and Editor of the National Nature Reserve, accessible only by permit from English Transactions, much of the time simultaneously. BMS Nature [Natural England]. "Members who collected the larger President 1908 and 1921. A barrister by training, but fungi commented on the richness of the area. Cryptosporella having private means he gave up the profession and hypodermia was collected on elm by the river banks just after devoted himself to mycology. passing the cave" and fine specimens of Cyathus striatus were collected on fallen timber. 11 Tom Petch, a distinguished tropical plant pathologist and author of works on entomopathogenic fungi, BMS Lest it be thought from the foregoing they didn't seem to be President 1920. finding very much it must be said that their list of records for the 1937 foray is extensive and runs to over five pages in the 12 John Ramsbottom. He spent most of his working life Transactions, approximately 750 records. (1910-50) at the Botany Department of the British Museum, fondly referred to as 'the grand Old Man of Bibliography Mycology', and probably the best known mycologist of his generation in England. BMS President 1924 and 1946. Brief Biographies of British Mycologists. C. G. Ainsworth. 1996, BMS. I am indebted to Tom Preece for supplementary biographical information and data on Melampsorella symphyti, and to Roy TBMS3 (1907-1911) pp131-135. Shrewsbury Foray 28 Mantle for additional information on Caughley Wood. May-1 June 1909. TBMS4 (1912-13) pp11-21. Worcester Foray 24-28 May Rea: Obit. TBMS XXX.180. MYC3-3, July89 p145 (1861-1946). 1912. See BBMS11-2 (Aut77)81-115. His daughter, Violet, a TBMS6 (1917-1919) pp1-17. Shrewsbury Foray 24-29 professionally trained artist, continued the series of Mrs Rea’s Sept 1917. paintings. She married in 1929 becoming Mrs Astley Cooper TBMS18 (1933) pp1-6. Ludlow Foray 27-31 May 1932. and died 1977; see BBMS11-2 (Aut77) 85 & 154-7. 11 TBMS22 (1938-9) pp211-220. Ludlow Foray 20-25 Sept 1937.

References:

1 William Beriah Allen, amateur naturalist, and a Founder member of the BMS, one of Shropshire's notable pioneering mycologists. As owner of a pottery factory at Benthall, near Ironbridge, he had free time to indulge his interests.

2 Arthur Disbrowe Cotton OBE, Keeper of Herbarium and Library of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. President 1913, mycologist and plant pathologist. Became the first mycologist in 1917 to the Board of Agriculture, the forerunner of MAFF, and one of the plant pathologists who from that time until the second World War were to be responsible for many of the activities of the BMS.

3 Miss Elsie Maud Wakefield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1910-51 succeeded George Massee. Her special interest was resupinate basidiomycetes. With A. D. Cotton revised the British Clavarias. Secretary of BMS for 17 years and President 1929.

4 Described by Ramsbottom in Mushrooms & Toadstools (1953) pp188-9.

5 Arthur Anselm Pearson, an amateur mycologist who attained professional competence in his speciality of Agaricology on which he became an international authority. BMS Treasurer 1919-46, President 1952 & 1931.

6 Carton Rea published a description in 1918 in TBMS6-68.

7 Miss Annie Lorrain Smith, mycologist but best remembered as a lichenologist; BMS President 1907 and 1917.

8 Miss Gulielma Lister, international authority on Myxomycetes, President 1912 and 1932.

9 William Norwood Cheesman FLS, a draper of Selby, Yorkshire, but he devoted much attention to fungi Asci of Trichoglossum hirsutum