NORWICH AREA: Broadland CP fungus foray & woodland invertebrates

20th May 2023

As part of the ongoing wildlife recording at Broadland Country Park, the Norfolk Fungus Study Group visited in May to look for spring fungi. The dry conditions meant that there was not too much found, however there was a nice display of Bog Beacons, a scarce species in East Anglia, and the highlight was a tiny fungus called Polycephalomyces tomentosus found growing on a slime mould.

There were some rather interesting invertebrates including a hopper on heather called Ulopa reticulata, a woodland cranefly Ctenophora pectinicornis, the weevil Attelabus nitens, Black-headed Cardinal Beetle and the beetle Elaphrus riparius.

CENTRAL NORFOLK: Selection of fungi

Late October 2022

I took an autumn wander around Buxton Heath looking for fungi, before  stopping off briefly at Broadland Country Park on the way back.

Fly Agaric

Bay Bolete

Nail Fungus on pony dung

Nut Disco on an acorn

Earthfan

Slime mould sp

Virgin Pygmy leaf mine in Aspen

False Deathcap

Splitgill

Smoky Bracket

NORTH NORWICH: Broadland CP fungus foray

6th November 2021 

At the start of November I attended a Norfolk Fungus Study Group foray at Broadland Country Park, where NNNS are one year into a three-year monitoring project. It was very well attended, the downside of which is that people end up straggling out all over the place, with the positive being more eyes to look for fungi. I had hoped to see a few of the scarce birch species that have been found here in the past such as Ghost Bolete, but as that part of the site has been well recorded we instead moved quickly past the first compartments to spend some time in the damper areas further along.

The fungus list for the day was well over 100 species, although I didn't see all of them. Some of my highlights included Heningomyces candidus, Conifer Shield (Pluteus pouzarianus). the slime mould Leocarpus fragilis, Isaria farinosa on a dead Glow-worm and a very glutinous Yellow Webcap (Cortinarius delibutus).

There were a few interesting invertebrates seen too, in particular I had hoped to see the harvestman Nemastoma bimaculatum and one was under the first log we checked!

NORTH NORWICH: A scarce fungus gnat

September 2021

Near the end of the month I called in at Broadland Country Park to have a look at an interesting species found by Milly Kenward. Whilst looking at fungi, Milly had noticed some large white cocoons on Hoof Fungus. After passing on the photos, these were eventually confirmed as Sciophila rufa, a fungus gnat with larvae feeding on Hoof Fungus. It is mostly a Scottish species, so the population here appears to be only the second site in Norfolk. I was able to find a few of them, mostly vacated. The white cocoons blended in well with the birch bark, but the black frass grains helped pick them out. Whilst here I also found a population of Red-banded Birch Aphids, having seen them for the first time on a small birch near Waterloo Park following a tipoff from the county aphid recorder.