2nd June

On the same fallen trunk that we found Badhamia utricularis (actually on a section that had since broken off) — we saw clusters of Stemonitis sporangia and what I am presuming was a Badhamia utricularis plasmodium.

A week later we would find these Stemonitis as more mature sporangia.

Near the Sandy Glade we spotted some Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa.

After The Outpost another Stemonitis.

I never tire of seeing these wonderful Stemonitis sporangia forms.

A week later all that was left was a tangle of flattened black stalks.

Further along from The Outpost — towards the end of the trail — some bright orange slime mould aethalia on some unknown disintegrating yellow crust. At least I’m assuming it’s a slime mould — I automatically thought it was a Lycogala but I’m not so certain now.

Physarum rubiginosum ?

Some juvenile white slime mould sporangia on a leaf.

Some Fuligo septica plasmodia on a leaf.

And some Calocera cornea on a fallen branch.

9th June

Since a NFSG led fungi foray at the reserve in October 2023 where Cyathus striatus (Fluted Bird’s Nest) was found — on subsequent visits to the reserve we would occasionally check the location to see if there were any new sporocarps and today we were in luck.

In the photos below new sporocarps have grown adjacent to the old nests from last year and one of them had opened up into a nest.

At Basecamp — on the same decaying log that we found a fabulous Stemonitis flavogenita — we saw some unidentified juvenile globose white sporangia (centre), with some Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa (right of centre under the globose white sporangia), a small tuft of mature Stemonitis sporangia in spore mass (left of the main area of globose white sporangia) and a solitary Lycogala (left) above the snail.

Close up of the juvenile sporangia.

In the evening these juvenile white sporangia had turned pale translucent brownish vinaceous.

The photo below is of another mature Stemonitis — on the same log — in spore mass with the capillitial surface net visible at the tips of some of the sporangia where spores have dispersed. The surface net is a structure that supports the mature sporangium and is characteristic of Stemonitis.

Surface net…
https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=740

At the Sandy Glade in the bracken — two Phallus impudicus eggs.

Some Stemonitis on the rotting rebatement at the end of the drainage channel path. These were somewhat shorter than the other Stemonitis and maybe a different species.

Opposite The Outpost we spotted a Fuligo septica on a stump transforming into an aethalium.

And in the evening the aethalium had developed a sheeny peridium.

And on the log near The Outpost where we saw the Stemonitis and Badhamia utricularis a week earlier — a wonderful display of more Stemonitis clusters.

We came back to the reserve later in the evening to find them a deep vinaceous brown.

And a week later mature sporangia in spore mass.

See more photos of these Stemonitis.

Further on from The Outpost, I noticed some bright red blobs within one of the decaying log piles.

I automatically assumed them to be a slime mould but they I had no idea what they could be and I wondered if they were a Lycogala — the aethalia were different from Lycogale epidendrum that we usually see and the bright red colour was unusual. A Google Lens search suggests Lycogala conicum which they somewhat resemble — albeit at an early stage?

Some photos of Lycogala conicum at inaturalist.org.

In the trail end area we spotted a cluster of immature yellow Stemonitis sporangia — most likely Stemonitis flavogenita because of the yellow colour.

Later in the evening it had turned to a wonderfully transluscent moist and glistening cluster of sporangia, rose, vinaceous and wine-red in colour. Some of the sporangia — rear of the main cluster in the photo below — still have a yellowish hue to their tips.

S. flavogenita has a distinctive columella plate [1] which seem to be present ? in this photo — black tips of the sporangia left of centre.

Another mature Stemonitis cluster in spore mass with the capillitium surface net visible.

16th June

The visit to the reserve was quite exciting this day because I spotted a green slime mould!

At the Zen Zone white Stemonitis sporangia.

And nearly two hours later — at the end of our visit — the sporangia had fused together with rose tints.

At Basecamp more Stemonits sporangia on the same log (see 9th June above) that we often see slime moulds. The photo below shows a some sporangia and some white translucent slime which could be Stemonitis plasmodium?

In the photo below, the larger cluster of Stemonitis sporangia is beginning to fuse together at the top.

And later at the end of the visit, both sporangia clusters had fused together and turned to a wonderful trunslucent rose and carmine.

But… on the same log a wonderful find — green sporangia that I have never seen before that could be Cribraria aurantiaca ! (more on this slime mould)

Near The Outpost some unidentified juvenile white sporangia.

And more excitement — in the Trail End area, on a fallen branch — what looks like it could be Physarum leucophaeum sporangia?

23rd June

We didn’t see much this day.

Near Basecamp we spotted what was most likely juvenile Arcyria cinerea sporangia — some of which had fine hair-like growths which would be a fungal parasite.

Also some old Lycogala epidendrum aethalia surrounded by spore mess.

Near The Outpost — some juvenile Arcyria cinerea sporangia.

After The Outpost some Fuligo septica. The photo below shows plasmodium and developing aethalia.

The photo below shows a developing aethalium with a trail of white translucent hypothallus.

The hypothallus is a layer that the slime mould plasmodium secretes on its substrate as it moves around.

[1] The Myxomycetes of Britain and Ireland 2020 – An Indentification Handbook – Bruce Ing