Nature Notes from Skye
(and occasionally other places)

Wed 15 Sep 2004

Here are a couple of leaf galls on Sycamore.

Picture c 4.7 cm across

Picture c 3.8 cm across

The first has brown or colourless isidia-like growths with thickened ends, on the leaf underside, and is presumably Aceria (= Eriophyes) pseudoplatani.  The second has very thin white hairs below and is Aceria cephalonicus.  Both are caused by mites.  The leaf in the second picture also has small pale blotches like leaf-mines, but I can't find any record of a leaf-miner that affects only the upper surface of the leaf in this way, leaving the lower surface intact as was the case here.

Today we had a Fungus Foray with the Highland Council Ranger Service.  Here are some of the fungi that we found...

This Bolete known as Slippery Jack was under some Corsican Pine.

We decided this was probably the Saffron Milk-cap, Lactarius deliciosus.  It too was under the Pines.

Estimated 4 cm across at widest

This young Earthball, believed to be Scleroderma citrinum, was growing on a road verge.

Cap c 7 cm across as seen

Two Russulas now.  The red one was under Corsican Pine.  The green one was plentiful in a Larch plantation.  It was much greener than it looks in the picture, which has turned out very disappointing - it's dark in those plantations.  I could have used flash but I find pictures even in severe shade are generally better without.

c 17 cm across both caps

Top right one estimated 4 cm across

The other species that was common and widespread in the Larch plantation was this "Suede Bolete" as someone aptly called it, thought to be a Xerocomus species.  The ones on the right formed a very long, slightly curved, line that probably acts in "fairy ring" style, moving outwards each year.  They are Collybia butyracea.

Estimated 6 cm across at widest

This hairy fungus was growing on a Larch stump and had everyone stumped.  Apparently it is Oligoporus ptychogaster.  Thanks to Malcolm Storey of Bioimages for this and some of the other id's on this page.

Upper cap c 9 mm across at widest

These delicate Mycena mushrooms were at the base of a Larch tree.  Also in the Larch plantation were this pair of small, softly spiny puffballs, Lycoperdon nigrescens.

While in the plantation we saw a very small shrew - either a Pygmy Shrew or a young Common Shrew - scuttling around, it quickly went to ground in a hole beneath a Larch root.

This was thought to be a Cortinarius species.  It was growing by Hazel and Rowan.

Fungus c 13.5 cm across at widest

Lest it be thought that we were not too successful in identifying fungi on this trip, the specimen on the left was confidently pronounced to be a Brown Birch Bolete despite its advanced state of deterioration.  Many of us were able to recognise the one on the right as the Birch Polypore.  (This picture was actually taken on 9 Sep but is of a specimen that we looked at today.)

These were quite easy to recognise as a Coprinus species, as they were beginning to deliquesce.  They were growing on Eared Willow roots.  But we drew a blank with the wavy-edged white ones on the right.  They may be a Clitocybe, possibly C dealbata.

Finally here are a couple more good-looking kinds of mushroom that I took before the foray started and that we didn't get round to looking at.  No idea what they are.

The foray was great fun and very educational.  Many thanks to John Phillips and the Highland Council Ranger Service.