Visit to Potteric Carr Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserve - 7th October 2018 – Fungus Foray

5 members travelled to Potteric Carr with the intention of carrying out a Fungus Foray, mainly to try

and see Earth Stars in better condition than on previous visits. This was combined with the usual bird

and flower count etc.

Linda & Mick Fairest, Graham Gill, Brian Smithson and Malcolm Swift.

We parked in the “new” car park and there recorded Jackdaw, Great-spotted Woodpecker, Long-tailed

Tit and Black-headed Gull. The weather was fine following a wet day and an overnight frost.

At the visitor centre we were informed that a Bittern had been seen at Decoy Hide so we had a chat

amongst ourselves and decided to take the Railway Route first and leave the woodland at Beeston

Plantation (fungi) for later. Along the railway route we soon came across a group of Giant Puffball

fungi along the top of the bank just before Decoy Hide. A little further on we saw a large clump of

Honey fungus feeding on an old tree stump along with Fly Agaric and Sulphur Tuft. A good start to

our Foray. At Decoy hide we noted Shoveler and Mute Swan but no Bittern to be seen. We also

became aware of a dead Mute Swan in the reeds, probably a victim of Avian botulism (caused by the

increase in blue green algae due to the exceptionally hot summer) which has killed 30 plus swans at

nearby Lake Side.

Further along, and after a little searching off the footpath we saw several Earth Star fungi (Geastrum

Triplex) just emerging from the leaf litter and hoped to see better specimens later.

At Eaa Hide we recorded Little Grebe, Moorhen, Mallard and heard a Cetti’s Warbler calling in the

distance. Despite it being October there were still plenty of wild flowers to be seen, probably a second

flush after a drought summer? Sow Thistle, Viper’s Bugloss, Musk Mallow, Devil’s-bit Scabious,

Water Mint and Weld to name but a few.

We made our way around to the Education Centre and Willow Pool Hide where we saw Willow Tit,

Blue Tit, Chaffinch and Great Tit. On then to the hides overlooking Huxter Well Marsh.

At Duchess Hide we recorded Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Wigeon, Lapwing and Cormorant etc.

Between the hides and the railway beneath the trees we found specimens of last year’s Earth Stars

along with more Fly Agaric, Common Earth Ball, Brown Birch Bolete, Shaggy Parasol Mushroom

and others which were photographed for identification later. After our packed lunch we proceeded

along the trail calling at each hide as we went proceeded towards Roger Mitchell Hide. En route we

were lucky enough to see a Roe Deer close up before reaching Tofield Hide.

We carried on around Huxter Well Marsh and looked in at Piper Marsh Hide but as time was passing

by and we were aware the car park closed at 5pm Mick went to move the car to the overspill car park

which is not secured. The rest of us went around the Discovery Zone Trail to Beeston Plantation in

the hope of more fungi. As we approached the woods we saw another Roe Deer running across a

field. Along the trail we recorded Orange Peel Fungus, Birch Polypore, Tinder Fungus, Penny Bun,

Common Yellow Russula etc. Eventually we met up again with Mick and returned to the car having

spent nearly 8 hours on this reserve! Alas, no fine specimens of earth stars, but a good day with

plenty to see.

Flowers 51 Birds 42 Mammals 4 Insects 1 Amphibian 1 Fungi 30

Reporter: Linda Fairest

Flowers Birds Black Knapweed Guelder Rose berries Jackdaw

Black Medic Hawthorn berries Great Spotted Woodpecker

Bladder Campion Rose Hips Long-tailed Tit

Bramble Sloes Black-headed Gull

Bristly Ox-tongue Mare’s Tail Great Tit

Buddleia Robin

Common Ragwort Blue Tit

Common Toad’s Flax Goldfinch

Creeping Thistle Chaffinch

Dandelion Mammals Dunnock

Devil’s-bit Scabious Roe Deer Pheasant

Enchanter’s Nightshade Grey Squirrel Little Grebe

Field Scabious Stoat Coot

Fleabane Mole hills Moorhen

Great Bindweed Wigeon

Great Hairy Willowherb Mallard

Greater Knapweed Cetti’s Warbler

Ground Elder Insects Mute Swan

Groundsel Speckled Wood b/f Shoveler

Herb Robert Redwing

Hogbite Amphibian Carrion Crow

Hogweed Wren

Meadow Buttercup Froglet Grey Heron

Michaelmas Daisy Willow Tit

Moonpenny Buzzard

Musk Mallow Snipe

Nettle Shelduck

Perennial Sow Thistle Lapwing

Perforate St. John’s wort Gadwall

Pineapple Mayweed Teal

Purple Loosestrife Wigeon

Red Campion Cormorant

Red Clover Starling

Red Dead Nettle Jay

Ribwort Plantain Great Crested Grebe

Scentless Mayweed Greylag Goose

Selfheal Lesser Black-backed Gull

Sneezewort Herring Gull

Sow Thistle Little Egret

St. John’s Wort sp. Black-tailed Godwit

Traveller’s Joy Pied Wagtail

Viper’s Bugloss

Water Mint

Weld

White Campion

White Clover

White Dead Nettle

Wild Carrot

Wild Strawberry

Yarrow

Yellow Wort

Fungi

Jelly Tongue (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum)

Giant Puffball (Langermannia gigantea)

Earth Star (Geastrum triplex)

Honey Fungus (Armillaria mellea)

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)

Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare)

King Alfred’s Cakes (Daldinia concentrica)

Hairy Stereum (Stereum hirsutum)

Trentepohlia algae (tree fungus)

Tinder Fungus (Fomes fomentarius)

Bonnet Mycena (Mycena galericulata)

Many Zoned Polypore (Tremetes versicolor)

Tawny Grisette (Amanita fulva)

Brown Birch Bolete (Leccinum scabrum)

Shaggy Parasol (Lepiota rhacodes)

Rooting Shank (Oudemansiella radicata)

Wood Woolly Foot (Collybia peronata)

Common Inkcap (Coprinopsis atramentaria)

Blushing Bracket (Daedaleopsis confragosa)

Glistening Inkcap (Coprinellus micaceus)

Penny Bun (Boletus edulis)

Common Earth Ball (Scleroderma citrinum)

Blackish-Purple Russula (Russula atropurpurea)

Grey Russula (Russula grisea)

Jew’s Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)

Common Yellow Russula (Russula ochroleuca)

Birch polypore (Piptoporus betulinus)

Scaly Wood Mushroom (Agaricus sylvaticus)

Orange Peel Fungus (Aleuria aurantia)

Coral Spot (Nectria cinnabarina)