German Blackforest, Schwarzwalder Fungi 4 and other find.

I thought I'd return to my Germany fungi finds during my walk in the Black Forest area near Bad Wildbad. 

Starting off with these two examples.  I confess to not knowing what on earth they are!

I'm not sure if the ones below were a form of Puffball or Earthball.  They are very fluffy though! Perhaps they are Stump Puffballs?

I headed off into some dark mossy depths at one point in the woods and I am very glad I did as I came across a patch of something on my Wishlist- CHANTERELLES! IN this case, Winter Chanterelles. Craterellus Tubaeformis, also known as Yellow Foot fungi or Trumpet Chanterelles, for obvious reasons. The ones below are quite young

but I did come across a bugger example.  They have fake gills, they not actually gills, they have wrinkles that resemble them.  They have a delightfully fruity smell. I did pick this one and carry it proudly, for the remainder of my walk! Isn't it beautiful!  They are actually a fungus that I like the taste of!

I so wish I had someone with me, or a book, to identify this intriguing mushroom.  In retrospect, I needed to have a look at the underside too, to know more.

There were different parts of the forest where we saw lots of the same fungi but this moment was brilliant as we saw this wonderful collection of Shaggy Inkcaps looking like they were at some sort of Goth disco or party! How much do they look like they are having a gossip!

You can see a young one and an older one side by side.

Here we have some spent puffball mushrooms, probably Wolf-Farts or Pear-shaped puffballs. Their latin name is Apioperdon pyriforme (but apparently they used to be known as Lycoperdon pyroforme!) When they release their spores, they can make a farty sound. Apparently edible!

I always forget what this type of mushroom is below, every time I see it.  Are they Common Inkcaps?

Something very interesting we found was the honeycomb of some wild bees in a hole which had been taken over by wasps! I've never seen this in the wild before!

Possible some sort of Turkey Tail fungus here.It comes in so many different shades!

We found this wonderful collection of spotty feathers too!

 So many wonderful things to see!

Schwarzwalder Fungi 3- the holy grail!

Back to sharing my fungi find from Germany.  I did slightly drive CBC mad with my stopping for fungi but he did get involved also and stop and stop and point out so I think he just likes to pretend to be annoyed sometimes!

Shall we see some mushies??

I saw another pink mushroom which I think was possibly a Rosy Bonnet.

Here was a Charcoal brittle grill. I also love the contrast to all the background detritus.

Yet another Russula here. I liked the way the nibbles were making it heart-shaped!

Yet another Russula here

I finally found an intact one- this is known as a 'Sickener' for obvious reasons that it will make you sick if you try to eat it...unlike other very edible Russulas!

CBC deserves a prize for his next find because he saw this from quite far away and pointed it out to me and guess what??? IT WAS ONE OF MY TOP WISHLIST FUNGI!!!!!!!!!

This is a Lion's Mane fungus which, in the UK, is incredibly rare and a protected species! Just look at it!!!!

This is highly prized and edible with many, many health benefits, but you must not pick it in the UK. I'm not sure about Germany. As I am not hugely keen on eating mushrooms, I wouldn't even have contemplated picking it, if it were allowed, as it would be a complete waste if I didn't like it!

It is fabulous!!! I was very sad to leave it!

This next, very Microphone-like specimen was growing quite close to the Lion's Mane.  I believe it is a Calvatia Cyathiformus or the Purple spored Puffball.  Ang asked how I knew the names of fungi.  Well, I did read an entire fungi book a few years ago but I follow lots of Mushroom folk on insta and they often post about a particular fungus. Someone posted this and I realised it was the same as the one I saw in Germany! Sometimes, I search to find if I can ID a mushroom!

Here was another jolly growth of Yellow Stagshorn.

Here was another CBC find.  He showed me this soon after I found something else exciting (in another post!). I wasn't sure if these were some sort of Oyster mushroom or the parasitic Shrimp of the Woods.  Still not sure! I didn't want to disturb it to ogle its gills!!

Finally, a cute little unidentified round fellow!

Any favourites here?

xx

 

Schwarzwalder Champignon

When I shared my Heidelberg Fungi post, I mentioned how disappointed I was at the amount of fungi I had seen this Autumn.  This is partially due to a lack of walks in the right places.  But luckily, we were headed to the Black Forest in Germany so I KNEW this was my chance to see some more interesting fungi.  But would I be able to spot them?

We were staying in the beautiful spa town of Bad Wildbad, where CBC and I had spent a couple of happy nights and days with his Brother some years ago.

We headed up the funicular railway to the Sommerberg and after a visit to the Tree top walk and the epic slide, we walked onwards through the forest.

And here's the first of a few posts of what I saw.

The first fungus I spotted was Yellow Stagshorn emerging out of a mossy stump of a tree. I've seen this a couple of times but a colourful fungus is always exciting!

Next, I saw this pinky/red fungus which I think was a Beech/Beechwood Sickener, Russula Nobilis, definitely a Brittlegill/Russula mushroom, if not that exact one.

The ones below, which were somewhat damaged (as is often the way with Brittlegills as they are tasty to insects!) were Russula atropurpurea, otherwise known as the Purple Brittlegill.

At this point, CBC had given up on me and walked ahead.

Once I got up close and personal to the leaves, I spotted more and more.

This orangey one below was intriguing to me.

And here's another view of it where you can see the light shining through its gills. This one was in better condition.

As there were plenty of these, I wanted to have a look at its gills so I tried to lift it up a bit but then it snapped.  This bright orange latex oozed out of it.

It wasn't till after the next day's walk and seeing plenty of these that I found an ID on this fungi-type. And it's a highly-sought after edible which is called the Saffron Milkcap or to use its rather delightful and apt Latin name, Lactarius Deliciosus!

Here was another example I thought, but now, looking at it, it's not the same one as it has a white stipe!

I'm not sure what this was.  Was it a Fly Agaric variety without its spots?

These pale pink mushrooms are perplexing me a bit. They could be Rosy Bonnets, Mycena Rosea but the shape is slightly confusing

It was hard to tell if this was a Russula Amethystina or another Purple Brittlegill! It had a big pool of water in it!

 In my first 20 minutes of looking, I was already happy to have seen to many but what would I find next? I had come with a wishlist of a few fungi I would like to see but would I see any of them??

x

On July beauty

This weekend,  I visited my favourite place to rehearse and perform the opera, The Death of Klinghoffer by John Adams and I went for a beautiful walk during our afternoon break with a few friends. I never tire of these sights. There is something just magical about the interplay of light in a mighty woodland. The greens are so rich and nourishing to the soul and when you come out of the woodlands and see beautiful flowers, that is more manicured beauty but all the more astonishing!

I hope you like these natural shots

 The holly leaves were casting such interesting shadows on this tree.

 And on this one further into the woods.

 I do love the dappled light that filters through the canopy.

 Behold said canopy!

 And like last week, I adore the way the light comes through these leaves.

 We came out here.

 And some continued their walk onwards.

 Delicate purple blooms pop out one by one.

 Foxgloves- beautiful but deadly!

 I know not the name of these pink flowers but they spring forth so proudly despite their diminutive size.

 Fluffy collector amongst the lavender.

 Ox-eye daisies or Marguerittes- both say beautiful sunshine!

 Wonderful Stachys flowers- like lamb ears.

 Sucking greedily with his proboscis (if it acts like a straw at all- that may be the wrong analogy!)

 Purple seems to be in fashion in the natural world this June!

 Will these explode to disperse their seeeds?

 Butterflies flitted around but none would pose open for a photograph.

 Still, it matters not as even their outer wings are pretty!

Have you experienced any July beauty this weekend?

xx