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Visit to Longshaw Estate and Padley Gorge area for FUNGI FORAY – 5 th October 2017 5 members travelled in 1 car to park on the Grindleford Road from Fox House on a bright, sunny but cold Thursday morning. Linda & Mick Fairest, Eileen & Graham Gill and Charles Seymour. We crossed the road and entered through the gate onto the Longshaw Estate owned by the National Trust. Overnight rain had left the ground quite wet but the forecast was for a dry day. With our noses to the ground we searched around old tree trunks and vegetation in the hope of finding some good specimens of fungi. We had not visited this area for fungi since October 2014. In the sky over to our left a Buzzard was being mobbed by 2 Carrion Crows. Yellow Russula, Beech Jelly Fungus, Candle Snuff and Beechwood Sickener started off our list of fungus but only a handful of wild flowers today. As we approached the pond we were met with the sight of Mandarin Ducks 6 males and 4 females, their plumage looking fantastic in the bright sunshine. Good numbers of Mallards also occupied the pond. We continued along the path to the gate towards the Visitor Centre but then took a right turn across open land where we saw Blackening Waxcap, Scarlet Waxcap and good numbers of Fly Agaric. As we continued along the side of a babbling brook we were rewarded with the sight of a Dipper which kept flying for a short distance and then dropping back into the water as we followed it downstream. We also noticed a number of large anthills as we walked along. Although it was bright and sunny there was a cool breeze but we managed to find a sheltered spot to have our packed lunch. After lunch we headed back towards the original path and the road dropping our rucksacks off at the car. A Kestrel hovered in the distance as we took the left hand path down into Padley Gorge. We found a good specimen of Honey Fungus in the bottom of a tree trunk. Further fungi were recorded and photographed before we had to return to Dronfield to attend the Forum Meeting at the Barn at 4pm. A total of 31 fungi were identified. Reporter: Linda Fairest Amethyst Deceiver Beech Jelly Fungus Beechwood Sickener Birch Polypore Black Bulgar Blackening Waxcap Brown Birch Bolete Calocera viscose Candle Snuff Clavulinopsis helvola Common Earthball Coral Spot Fairies Bonnets Fly Agaric Grey Coral Fungus Grisette Hairy Stereum Honey Fungus Jelly Antler Fungus Liberty Cap Oak Milk Cap Orange Spot – Nectria cinnabarina Porcelain Fungus Russula atropurpurea Scarlet Waxcap Stump puffball Sulphur Tuft Trametes Versicolor White Bracket – Trametes hirsuta White Bracket – Skeletocutis nivea Common Yellow Russula – Russula ochroleuca
