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squawking.bsky.social
Squawking
@squawking.bsky.social
280 followers 260 following 48 posts
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

South Devon
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Reposted by Squawking
yvonnecouch.bsky.social
Checking under the peeling bark of a Plane tree in Belhus Woods Country Park, SE Essex, today, I found Arocatus longiceps, Cardiastethus fasciiventris and Deraeocoris lutescens passing the winter under cover.
January 24, 2026 at 3:29 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Found today on an old hazel stool. I think this is likely Tremella foliacea (leafy brain fungus).

If the ID is correct, it’s parasitising Stereum hirsutum (hairy curtain crust).

The largest mass of jelly fungus I’ve seen.

#fungifriends
Large amber-brown jelly fungus forming folded, leaf-like lobes on the underside of an old hazel stool. The translucent, gelatinous mass clings to the wood, with paler edges glowing where light passes through. A heavy convoluted cascade of amber and honey-coloured jelly fungus bundled beneath an old hazel stool, its folded, leaf-like lobes translucent and glossy, catching the light against the dark, damp wood.
January 22, 2026 at 8:37 PM
squawking.bsky.social
I’ve been searching for fungi on traveller’s joy (Clematis vitalba) for ages and thought I’d finally found one, about 40 tiny caps, just 1–1.5 mm across, smooth inside.

Possibly Moss Ear (Chromocyphella muscicola), in which case it’s growing on the moss, not the climber.

#fungifriends
Close-up of a moss-covered, decaying traveller’s joy stem. Nestled among the green moss are tiny, pale fungi shaped like miniature hoods or bells, each only about 1–1.5 mm wide, their smooth interiors opening sideways or downward.
January 22, 2026 at 8:19 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Blotch leaf-mine on Alexanders today, possibly Celery Fly (Euleia heraclei).

The plant was in a sheltered spot and winter has been mild; active larvae in winter are unusual but do happen.

The pale green larva is visible in the pouch.
Alexanders plants growing in damp ground, showing several broad green leaves. One leaf has a pale blotch leaf-mine visible among otherwise healthy foliage. Close view of an Alexanders leaf with a translucent blotch leaf-mine. A pale green larva is visible inside the swollen, blister-like pouch on the leaf surface.
January 16, 2026 at 7:06 PM
squawking.bsky.social
When I saw this today I first thought it was Purple Jellydisc (there’s a lot starting to shape up just now), but some of these had begun to form small cups rather than the brain-like bundles, so perhaps this might be Budding Jellydisc (Ascocoryne cylichnium).

#fungifriends
Small, glossy, purple jelly fungi forming shallow cup shapes on decaying wood. The fruit bodies are translucent and smooth, nestled in cracks of dark, wet bark with patches of moss nearby. Cluster of deep purple, jelly-like fungi growing on a mossy fallen log. Some fruit bodies form rounded cups while others are folded and lobed, with a wet, gelatinous surface in a damp woodland setting.
January 16, 2026 at 6:23 PM
squawking.bsky.social
I saw these tiny (approx 2mm) fungi caps on an Ivy leaf today. I think they might be Ivy Parachute (Marasmius epiphylloides).

If that ID is correct, there are 145 U.K. records in the NBN database but likely reflecting how tiny and easily missed it is rather than true rarity.

#fungifriends
Close view of several minute white fungi with umbrella-like caps standing upright on a brown ivy leaf. The caps are slightly cupped and semi-transparent, supported by hair-thin stems. Green moss and textured decaying wood fill the background. Close view of several minute white fungi with umbrella-like caps standing upright on a brown ivy leaf. The caps are slightly cupped and semi-transparent, supported by hair-thin stems. The gills are few, well-spaced, simple and pale. Green moss and textured decaying wood fill the background.
January 16, 2026 at 6:04 PM
squawking.bsky.social
I think this one is possibly Elder Whitewash (Xylodon sambuci), if it is then the name suits it well as it is very chalky and like whitewash peeling in some places, thin in others.

Elder Whitewash is not Elder Specific.

#fungifriends”
Close-up of a tree trunk coated in a chalky white crust fungus, patchy and uneven like peeling whitewash, with thin areas and thicker cracked sections. Green moss and lichen break through the white surface. Wider view of a slender tree trunk in woodland, where a pale white crust fungus runs vertically along the bark. Green moss blends into the white coating, giving the impression that both were brushed on together, while ivy, brambles, and ferns surround the base of the trunk.
January 14, 2026 at 7:53 PM
squawking.bsky.social
This starkly white crust wrapping a twig looked almost mineral when seen up close, it seemed to sparkle in the damp woodland.

I think it may be Netted Crust (Byssomerulius corium).

#fungifriends
Close-up of a thin twig coated in a bright white crust fungus. The surface is finely cracked and textured, with a maze-like pattern. In catching the light it appears almost crystalline against the dark, damp woodland background.
January 12, 2026 at 7:05 PM
squawking.bsky.social
The Black Witches’ Butter (Exidia glandulosa) looked glorious after yesterday’s heavy rain.

#fungifriends
A close view of Black Witches’ Butter growing on a mossy oak branch forming dark, gelatinous, translucent folds.
January 12, 2026 at 5:36 PM
squawking.bsky.social
I am learning to read leaf mines:
SERPENTINE = A→B, a single winding tunnel.
GALLERY = there and back again, overlapping routes.
BLOTCH = no start to finish path, an excavated papery patch.
Bramble leaf with a single narrow, winding serpentine leaf mine running from one point to another. The tunnel follows a clear A-to-B path and gradually widens along its length. Bramble leaf with multiple overlapping leaf-mine tunnels. The miner has looped back and crossed its own paths, creating parallel and merging routes rather than a single line. Bramble leaf showing a blotch-type leaf mine. A patch of leaf tissue has been excavated, leaving a pale, papery area with no readable start-to-finish route.
January 10, 2026 at 7:43 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Saw this vibrant Yellow Brain Fungus (Tremella mesenterica) on a big, freshly fallen branch today at eye level.

The vivid yellow-orange colour contrast against the damp winter woodland was startling.

#hotsticksaturday #fungifriends
Bright yellow-orange Yellow Brain Fungus (Tremella mesenterica) growing on a freshly fallen branch at eye level. The jelly-like, folded fruit bodies glow against damp grey-brown bark, with moss, lichen, and blurred winter woodland in the background.
January 10, 2026 at 5:24 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Jelly Ear Fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae).

It’s always a joy to see the soft, fragile folds when they’re caught by the light and backlit like this.

#fungifriends
Backlit Jelly Ear Fungus (Auricularia auricula-judae) growing from the side of a standing dead trunk. The ear-shaped fruit body glows warm amber-orange where sunlight passes through it, showing smooth, gently folded inner surfaces against darker bark. Cluster of Jelly Ear Fungus on a dead tree trunk, showing soft, ear-shaped fruit bodies with wrinkled, folded surfaces. The fungi are deep brown to reddish-brown, with lighter translucent edges where the light catches them.
January 10, 2026 at 4:37 PM
squawking.bsky.social
White Brain Fungus (Exidia thuretiana) today on a fallen branch. It’s a good indicator of how damp things have been here, as it shrivels in dry conditions.

Its name comes from the brain-like folds of the pale, jelly-soft fruit bodies, which will deepen as this one matures.

#fungifriends
White, jelly-like fungus growing in soft lobed patches along a cracked fallen branch, emerging from splits in the bark. The translucent fruiting bodies cling closely to the damp wood, with ivy leaves and wet leaf litter visible in the background. Close-up of White Brain Fungus (Exidia thuretiana), showing pale milky-white, brain-like folds and a glossy, gelatinous surface. The fungus appears soft and swollen from moisture, contrasting with the rough brown bark beneath.
January 10, 2026 at 4:26 PM
squawking.bsky.social
This bramble leaf mine widens as the larva grows, starting where the egg hatched.

Likely a leaf-mining moth (Nepticulidae, Stigmella sp.). Close to aurella but with stronger purplish margins (tunnel edges) than the key describes.

www.leafmines.co.uk/html/mine-gu...
Close view of a bramble leaf with a single serpentine leaf mine. The mine begins very narrow and steadily widens, recording the growth of the larva over time. The mined area is pale, with distinct purplish staining along the tunnel edges, especially in the wider sections.
January 10, 2026 at 9:17 AM
squawking.bsky.social
There are still a few Common Earthballs (Scleroderma citrinum) about.

This photo was taken yesterday…all those spores drying in a gentle breeze. Today it poured, and every raindrop will launch them.

#fungifriend
Common earthball fungus in leaf litter, with thick yellow-brown, warty skin split open to reveal a dark mass of powdery spores inside, ready to be dispersed by wind and rain.
January 8, 2026 at 6:45 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Yesterday I mistook this bullseye-shaped fungal leaf spot on hart’s-tongue fern for a leaf miner, so today I searched until I found one, likely a fern-specialist micro-moth larva.

Very scarce compared with the widespread fungal leaf spot.

#fungifriends
Close-up of a hart’s-tongue fern frond showing a round, bullseye-shaped brown fungal leaf spot with darker outer margin and paler centre on the glossy green leaf. Hart’s-tongue fern frond showing a narrow, winding serpentine leaf mine within the leaf tissue, with a pale track contrasting against the green surface.
January 8, 2026 at 6:16 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Came across these four earthstars again today in leaf litter at the base of a mature oak.

The vaulted, arched rays made me think possibly Arched Earthstar (Geastrum fornicatum)?

#fungifriends
Earthstar fungus in deciduous leaf litter with thick brown rays split open and arched upward, lifting the spore sac above the ground; abundant brown spores visible on the top surface. Closed earthstar fungus in leaf litter, appearing as a small round greenish-grey ball before the outer layers split into rays.
January 8, 2026 at 6:04 PM
squawking.bsky.social
More leaf miners… Bramble leaf with a winding larval track visible within the leaf tissue.

Possibly tiny moth or sawfly larvae. The dark line is frass and shows the direction of travel.
Close-up of a bramble leaf showing a pale, winding leaf-miner trail running across the leaf surface, with a thin dark line of frass visible inside the track against the green leaf tissue.
January 7, 2026 at 7:36 PM
squawking.bsky.social
A burst of vivid red caught my eye today, it was a cheering delight to see Scarlet Elf Cup, (or similar), glowing in deep woodland shade. #fungifriends
Two bright scarlet cup fungi, each about 3 cm across, growing from moss and leaf litter in deep woodland shade. The cups have smooth, vivid red interiors and thin, slightly irregular rims, emerging from buried wood beside a deer track.
January 7, 2026 at 7:07 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Black crust fungus in hollow of dead wood, approx. 6 cm across.
Granular, bead-like surface. Possibly Dead Man’s Fingers / Candlesnuff (Xylaria) in crust stage.
Looks like rot but structured.

#fungifriends
Close-up of a black, granular fungal crust inside a hollow in decaying wood. The surface is made up of many small bead-like nodules embedded in the wood, giving a textured, charcoal-like appearance. Fallen log on woodland floor covered with moss and leaf litter, with ivy growing over it. A dark black patch of crust-like fungus is visible in a hollow on the side of the log.
January 7, 2026 at 6:52 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Leaf miner gall on holly leaf, Phytomyza ilicis

Larvae live and feed entirely within the leaf, only on holly.

Early: pale green/yellow
Later: brown centre
Exit hole marks adult emergence
Close view of glossy, dark green holly leaf. The upper surface shows a pale yellow-green leaf-miner blotch. The centre has darkened to brown and has a small, round exit hole where the adult insect emerged.
January 6, 2026 at 8:36 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Wrinkled Crust (?)
Phlebia radiata

Found this crust on oak today.
Like sunshine on a foggy day.

#fungifriends

www.first-nature.com/fungi/phlebi...
A large moss-covered fallen oak branch hosts two circular patches of fungal growth, each about 6 cm wide. Both patches have bright orange edges that sharply contrast with the moss and warm grey centres. One patch is flat, with a wrinkled, lumpy surface marked by vein-like lines radiating outward from the centre. The other patch is more textured, featuring small, finger-like structures up to 1 cm tall that give it a spiky, uneven look. A large moss-covered fallen oak branch hosts two circular patches of fungal growth, each about 6 cm wide. Both patches have bright orange edges that sharply contrast with the moss and warm grey centres. One patch is flat, with a wrinkled, lumpy surface marked by vein-like lines radiating outward from the centre. The other patch is more textured, featuring small, finger-like structures up to 1 cm tall that give it a spiky, uneven look.
January 16, 2025 at 4:50 PM
squawking.bsky.social
Pink polypore mould (?)
Hypomyces rosellus

The crust is eating the trunk, now it looks like the mould is eating the crust.

#fungifriends
A close-up view of Hypomyces rosellus, also known in the U.K. as pink polypore mould is growing on a crust fungus on a fallen tree trunk. The crust fungus forms a thin, pale layer on the wood, while Hypomyces rosellus appears as small, deep pink dots scattered across its pale pink surface. These dark pink structures are the spore-producing parts of the parasitic fungus. The texture of the crust fungus is slightly uneven, and the surrounding wood is aged, with cracks and a rough surface. A close-up view of Hypomyces rosellus, also known in the U.K. as pink polypore mould is growing on a crust fungus on a fallen tree trunk. The crust fungus forms a thin, pale layer on the wood, while Hypomyces rosellus appears as small, deep pink dots scattered across its pale pink surface. These dark pink structures are the spore-producing parts of the parasitic fungus. The texture of the crust fungus is slightly uneven, and the surrounding wood is aged, with cracks and a rough surface.
January 15, 2025 at 7:08 PM