WFV, Grass Wood, 15th October 2024

It was a rather misty dank drive from Bradford to Grassington. Whilst the sun didn’t show up for this outing, and there were only six of us, we had a good day searching the leaf litter and logs for fungi, and stayed dry and warm enough. As a special treat, for those willing, we started the day with a small taste of Beech Milkcap. Spicy!

The first mushroom, as we exited the car park, was rather eaten and bedraggled so we left that in hope of better (and easier) specimens. The first spot, and subsequently seen throughout the woods, was Candlesnuff Fungus covering a stump. We also identified Blackfoot Polypore, and looked at an Oysterling species.

It was soon clear that we weren’t going to be inundated with specimens to look at, so there were (hypothetical) prizes on offer for the best find. We didn’t even have to go to the adjudication panel – once Sue found the Green Elf Cup (which I had really hoped we would find), it felt pretty likely the competition was closed. However, after the excitement has subsided, there really has to be a prize for John too, without whom we would mostly just be enjoying the colours, shapes and textures, rather than working out any names and identification features. It is a credit to his application that he can concentrate on gill arrangement, rings, scales, stipes etc, while the rest of giggling and exclaiming over the squeezing of the Wolf’s Milk slime mould globules.

The largest collection of a single species was the Clouded Funnel, by the wall near the road. We could compare Turkey Tails, Smoky Bracket and a Curtain species. There were quite a few Wood Pinkgills and several puffballs, including Stump Puffball, a patch of Clustered Toughshank and a small cluster of Lilac Bonnet and a large group of, probably, Sheathed Woodtuft. A rather old Common Bonnet and probable White Domecap were listed. The Yellow Discos, also called Yellow Fairy Cups, were one example of many where a hand lens is vital to enjoy the amazing detail we might otherwise overlook.

Of course there was a wealth of species that we do not spot – there were tiny things covering the woodland floor every time you knelt down – but there was plenty of evidence of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, the fungus causing Ash Dieback. There are large stands of dead or dying Ash saplings, and plenty of path-side trees with the ‘felling-mark’ orange spot.

It’s also worth noting that ticks are present and active in the woods, unfortunately we took two away with us (not both today). It’s a shame there weren’t more of us to share an enjoyable day, but pleased we went ahead. I’d encourage anyone who hasn’t yet booked for the November outings, but plans to, to get in touch. Thank you to Kevin for sharing the driving, especially as this is only as his travels had to be delayed.
Julia