This is one  of the common fungus sights around. In fact it is one of the most commonly recorded fungi in Britain. I’m talking of course of the Hairy Stereum or Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum). You’ll find it layered on the dead/fallen wood and stumps of deciduous trees – and it’s appearance is all year round. Shame it’s too tough and leathery to even think about putting in the pan! Damn!

It’s a bracket fungi and has a semicircular shape which is wavy or curtained in appearance. The ‘zoned’ yellow/brown fruiting bodies typically form in many rows, overlapping each other as they go. I think they look quite pretty when in full bloom – especially when there’s a quite a few of them. Each individual cap can grow up to 6 cm in width and can be up to 3mm thick. Older groups of the Hairy Stereum turn green with algae and look like some kind of Martian slime lettuce! (It does!)

So what’s this ‘hairy’ business all about then? Well, on initial viewing you don’t notice, but on closer inspection you can see many hairy tufts along the upper side. And as a bit of extra trivia, hirsutum in latin means hairy. The brighter yellow/orange lower surface, which is smoother, releases the spores. When older, this underside fades to a dull grey/brown.

So to sum up – If you haven’t seen any of these yet – you’re on the wrong planet. And yes – they’re inedible.

Seen all year round - Typical rows of the orange/brown wavy fungus Stereum hirsutum.

Although tiny (0.5 – 1.0mm) the orange fruit bodies of the Coral Spot (Nectria cinnabarina) grow in their hundreds mainly on small dead twigs and branches (wood piles etc.). Even if you’re no mycophile, not many wood walking people can say they haven’t noticed these little critters blossoming just about everywhere throughout the year. And myself, as a fan of all thing fungal just had to know what they were. So now we know.

One mushroom guide I have noted that the ‘non-sexual’ form is the most common found, as in these pictures shown below. The ‘true’ sexual form is dark red/red-brown which has a bumpy surface and both forms usually grow together. We’re getting into the sexual side of things I know – and don’t ask me too much on this subject, I’m still getting my head round the other mysteries of mushrooms!

Anyway. Here’s the picture. You know you’ve seen them before, don’t you!? Note: This shot was taken in November 2009.

Look out for these common orange spots in the woods anytime.

One last thought – I know Coral Spot is classed as inedible, mainly due to them being insubstantial (I believe). But imagine if you will, what if somebody took the time and collected thousands of them, just enough for a good portion – what would it really taste like? I’ve read elsewhere that it’s taste and odour have no distinction – but I think if you really had a munch on a big batch of the stuff, you might get a different result!

Well, maybe not! Just a thought.

Imagine how surprised I was at discovering the Dark-centred Hebeloma (Hebeloma mesophaeum) in the depths of winter, especially this one in January 2010. The Guardian newspaper on 6 Jan has successfully predicted the coldest UK winter in 30 years.

Well, in this case it was 4th January and snow was evenly spread across Leicestershire – Martinshaw Woods to be precise. These are great woods with such a mix of tree species. I wasn’t expecting much in the way of mushrooms but I did find plenty of ‘Jelly Ear’ and the above mentioned fungus.

The Dark-centred Hebeloma (Hebeloma mesophaeum) also known as the Pine Mesophaeum grows under conifers and broad leaved trees, but in this case it was conifers, and this may have been the reason it was around at this time of year. I’m only guessing at this, but because there is a certain large chunk in the woods that is just conifer (after freezing my nether regions throughout the rest of the woods) the temperature change walking through them was quite surreal. The heat had risen a good few degrees. No snow had penetrated the canopies above and it felt like you had just walked into another wood at a different time of the year! There seemed to be a very powerful closed-in, greenhouse effect in this part of the woods.

So I can only guess that these were perfect conditions for the Dark-centred Hebeloma (Hebeloma mesophaeum) and they must have been hanging on since late autumn. They were scattered everywhere – dozens and dozens of them. Some people might consider them quite dull in appearance but I quite like them, even though they are inedible and possibly poisonous (as are most related species).

The mushroom itself has a convex (and slimy) cap and most striking of all is the dark brown centre itself (hence the common name). Young specimens have a cobweb-like veil covering the sinuate gills. The stem is white and sometimes has a faint brown ring zone (remants from the veil). It also has another good identifiable characteristic in which it has a faint smell similar to a raddish!

Scattered accross the pine floor showing the distinctive dark brown centre on the cap

I’m still out there in the freezing cold, treading on the ice crusted mud and woodland grass in search of any of those winter treats still hanging around on the old dead wood. And I also need a change from mince pies, the turkey and wine and pretend I’m losing a few pounds in the process.

I was out in one of the National Forest woods, closest to where I live. It had to be close as I was on the motorbike and had to make the journey short. After all, it was 0 degrees celcius!

Initially I was looking for any signs of Oyster mushrooms. I know they’re around pretty much all year, but I need to find out more of where that is!

Instead I stumbled across (nearly literally) a modest collection of Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) or Jew’s Ear. They are genuinely funky in appearance, and absolutely great to touch, almost like a mixture between silk and rubber! However, it was so cold that some had completely frozen solid. Some were half frozen, half unfrozen. I quickly took some snaps to show the ice and ear together.

They’re around most of the year and grow on living and dead wood, mainly elder but also with beech and sycamore.

They are edible but not full of flavour. I didn’t pick any of them at this time, but I’m interested to know if anyone has any interesting recipes to use with them. I believe they are used extensively in Chinese cooking – broths and soups etc. generally to add substance rather than for added taste.

Jelly Ear feeling the ice cold of January