Francis Hickenbottom
@fhickenbottom.bsky.social
98 followers 84 following 81 posts
Retired physics teacher, interested in woodcarving, fungi, plants (especially alpines, cacti and succulents) and cosmology.
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Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
piotrgasiorowski.bsky.social
Some beautiful colonies of Hemitrichia decipiens. Kicin, Wielkopolska (Western Poland).
#slimemoulds #slimemolds #śluzowce #myxofriends #Myxogastria #Eumycetozoa #Amoebozoa.
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
hedgerownibbler.bsky.social
Violet webcap (Cortinarius violaceus) growing under gorse today near the Devil’s Punchbowl in Surrey. An absolute stunner of a mushroom and nationally rare - it’s always good to see these beauties.
#ukfungi
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
After seeing Rugosomyces ionides (Violet Domecap) in a beechwood on limestone at Fairburn yesterday, I decided to search the same type of habitat at Brockadale and there it was. This is a more attractive specimen than ones seen yesterday. #fungi
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
Today's work in progress: Cuphophyllus flavipes (Yellow-Foot Waxcap). This species grows on the croquet lawn of the Archbishop Holgate Hospital, West Yorkshire. #Fungi #FungiFriday
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
Bay Polypore on a log at Fairburn, with some of the younger ones looking a little different from ones that I have spotted previously. #FungiFriday
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
The uncommon Amanita solitaria was a nice fungus to see in the beechwood at Fairburn today. There were a number of them to be seen and not all were solitary.
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
A species that I saw for the first time today, at Fairburn, is Rogosomyces ionides (Violet Domecap). Colours haven't been rendered well in my image but the contrast between the violet in the cap and stem and the cream gills was striking.
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
the-art-of-web.com
`Delicate alpine flowers on a rocky outcrop, intermingled with handwritten text` #midjourney #synthart
botanical watercolour sketch, wet-on-wet effect, delicate alpine flowers on a rocky outcrop, intermingled with handwritten text, negative space --ar 5:7 --stylize 400 --v 7
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
romanceofbooks.bsky.social
Original botanical painting from an album of watercolour studies of "Flowers from Nature" attributed to Anne Elizabeth Nasmyth nèe Hartop (1817-1893). These are dated 1866-1868.

I saw this when I visited the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh. 🍂

#hernaturalhistory #sciart #botanicalart
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
ruhrpottpilze.bsky.social
Suillus granulatus

#Suillusgranulatus #Suillus #KörnchenRöhrling #weepingbolete #Boletgranulé #Pinarolo #mushroom #mushrooms #fungus #fungi #pilz #pilze #champignons #champignon #nature #natur #FungiFriends
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
Suillelus luridus (Lurid Bolete) occurs each year in the beechwood at Brockadale. #fungi
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
botanybeck.bsky.social
I think, #fungifriends, this might be the prettiest Blusher, Amanita rubescens, I’ve ever seen!! Isn’t it beautiful! 🥰

#MushroomMonday #FungiFriday
Amanita rubescens commonly known as as the Blusher typically has a yellowish-brown cap with flesh that reddens when damaged. Pictured is a lovely pale example that I encountered today with the cap having a gorgeous peaches and cream colouration!
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
jimhorsfall.bsky.social
I was in the centre of Rotherham this morning for a meeting, right by the river. So I had a look for any interesting plants.

Plenty of Frogbit, which is otherwise rare in South Yorkshire, and declined enormously. It must be floating down from somewhere upstream.

@sorbynathissoc.bsky.social
Floating leaves of Frogbit amongst Duckweed and other things. Canalised section of the river Don where the Frogbit was found.
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
This morning's find at Brockadale is Melastiza cornubiense. I find that this species makes itself seen on patches of bare, compacted soil. #fungi
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
It was pleasing to see this particularly smart Coprinopsis comatus (Shaggy Inkcap) growimg by the path as I walked to the local Tesco. #fungi
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
lukaslarge.bsky.social
I think this is Volvariella murinella - grey streaked cap, volva at stipe base and pinkish gills when mature #FungiFriends #mycology #fungi #ukwildlife #UKFungi
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
publicdomainrev.bsky.social
Dripping Mushroom, a 1916 woodcut by the Dutch graphic artist and painter Julie de Graag.

One of 900+ prints available to buy from our online shop: https://publicdomainreview.org/product/dripping-mushroom/

Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
nuiipointer.bsky.social
Hemitrichia clavata.

One of the few myxomycetes that’s a decent size (1-3 mm) so that I can take some detailed photos of it.

#slimemold #myxomycetes #fungifriends
Slime mold sporangia that look like yellow chalices on brown stalks. Fuzzy balls of yellow hair emerge from the chalices. This hair holds the spores and helps disperse them. An unopened chalice sits on the right, partially obscured behind some wood debris.
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
Fungus of the day is Orange Birch Bolete (Leccinum versipelle). I didn't have my usual set of coins with me to give scale but I can tell you that this one was a whopper and there were lots of similar ones nearby.
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
jimhorsfall.bsky.social
I went investigating on scree habitat today. Looking fairly bare, it mostly has commoner plants. Wood Sage is frequently in bare scree, Mouse-eared Hawk-weed often where soil is starting to form.

The thing I was looking for though is very rare, Red Hemp-nettle. Declined in arable, but still ok here
Yellow flower of Mouse-eared Hawk-weed amongst moss creeping over scree Wood Sage growing in an apparent lack of soil on a scree slope Pink flowers of Red Hemp-nettle, tall thin annual plants. Amongst scree Close up of the pink flower of Red Hemp-nettle.
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
Rustroemia firma is a fungus that I find occasionally in my local woodland but this specimen was in the forest west of Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
Reposted by Francis Hickenbottom
lukaslarge.bsky.social
Some finds from the @westmidsfungi.bsky.social foray at Saltwells from #UKFungusDay #FungiFriends
fhickenbottom.bsky.social
Here's a chrysalis being consumed by the fungus Cordyceps farinosa. This was found by @mothman60.bsky.social in North Yorkshire. #fungi #mycology