More rain = more Fungi

Although we haven't had a downpour for a while we are getting small dollops of rain now and again.  This morning as we were walking back down Canyon Creek I spotted what I think is an Earthstar.  It doesn't seem to be either of the Earthstars in Fungi Down Under so we will await my more comprehensive book before getting too ambitious with the ID!  See Gaye's comment below " more likely to be Scleroderma cepa, a tough-skinned puffball."








This shot is included to show the second fruiting body about 50cm from the main one.  My guess is that the larger one is about 8cm across the rays.





While looking at Fungi Down Under to (fail to) ID a fairly basic puffball I happened to notice some stalked puffballs called Prettymouths and suddenly realised they were what I had seen the previous week in Tallaganda NP.  In fact they are a Fungimap target species "Common Prettymouth" Colostoma fuscum.  The distunguishing feature is the warty cap which can be seen between the two fruiting bodies and again lower right.  The second, reallybad quality, image does give a better idea of the colours.

 My final post on this page is of some more fungi found on our property,  These are growng on the small stump where Country Energy bonsaied a small eucalypt to maintain our power supply.   The main image is of the whole fungus, while the smaller one is an extract from a mirror shot underneath which I believe shows some pores.  This suggests, following Fungi Down Under, it is Rainbow Bracket Trametes versicolor.  An image on the site of the Sydney Fungal Studies Group certainly supports Trametes Sp.

Comments

Denis Wilson said…
Hi Martin
We keep tracking along similar seasons. I have just published an Earth Star (Geastrum).
Re the top specimen Try this link for Bovista
I have npot seen your nioce purple Puff Balls.
Cheers
Denis
7 April 2010 at 22:47:00 GMT+10
Unknown said…
Hello Martin,

your 'unidentified Earthstar' in the first pictures of your blog entry are more likely to be Scleroderma cepa, a tough-skinned puffball. They often peel back in rays like a star. Here is a recent post I made on the same puffball which might be of interest to you:

http://australianfungi.blogspot.com/2010/07/39-scleroderma-cepa.html

Cheers,
Gaye
5 September 2010 at 09:14:00 GMT+10
Flabmeister said…
Thanks Gaye: I have put a correction up in the post.

Martin
5 September 2010 at 10:02:00 GMT+10
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