Sulpher Tuft Fungi
October continued where September left off, with very little rain for the first week
However, heavy showers later in the month caused an explosion of fungi growth
From mid to late October fungi were plentiful everywhere, with common varieties in most locations, and the occasional rarely seen fungi in certain areas.
The most abundant locations were Ranmore Common, and The White Downs, which are only separated by a couple of miles
Best find of the month was the amazing Fluted Bird’s Nest fungi which I only found in one location
This fungi forms on decomposing wood and forest debris. It’s ridged cup like structure houses small disc-shaped "eggs" (peridioles) packed with spores. When a raindrop splashes into the cup, it acts like a catapult, firing the peridioles onto nearby plants where coiled, sticky cords lock them into place for spore release. A little marvel of nature
Fluted Birds Nest Fungi
Equipment
Nikon Z8
Nikon 105mm Macro lens
Viltrox DG-Z Auto Focus AF Macro
Extension Tubes, 12mm,24mm
Laowa 15mm f4 wide angle macro
Sirui AM-223L tripod
Two small small led panels with tripods
Two Small Rig RM 03 Macro Photo LED Lights
Bean bag
Processing
Most of the images were focus stacked in Helicon Focus, although I also experimented with the trail version of Macro Studio which was very impressive
Software
Adobe Lightroom Classic
Helicon Focus Pro
Macro Studio (trail)
Shooting with the Laowa 15mm f4 wide angle macro Lens
This month, I decided to try something a little different and took some images with the Laowa wide-angle macro lens
The lens is completely manual, and you really need to get close to your subject to get the best out of it. That can make working with it frustrating, but when you get it right, it’s very rewarding
What I particularly like about this lens is that it shows the fungi in it’s environment, giving a totally different look to the usual macro images of fungi
The downside is that this lens is fully manual, and the camera’s built-in focus stacking function (if it has one) won’t work. You’ll need to manually adjust the focus between each shot. Thankfully, if your camera has focus peaking, this makes the process a bit easier. It takes a little practice to get used to, but once you do, the results can be well worth the extra effort
Locations
Box Hill
Box Hill
I visited Box Hill early one morning to capture the stunning morning mist, so I didn’t search for fungi for very long
However I did find one large Fly Agaric and several small bonnet fungi
It’s a location I’ll try again in November
Blackheath Common
Plenty of fungi in mid-October, with many boletes and clusters of small bonnet fungi
Best finds
White Tooth fungus and Purple Jellydisc
Ebernoe Common
Recognised as one of the best locations for fungi in the South East. Very good when I visited but you have to keep your eyes open
Best Find
Fluted Bird’s Nest fungi
Leith Hill
Very good in mid October
Large fly agaric, boletes and plenty of brittlegills
Best Find
Porcelain fungus
Ranmore Common
Rather barren in early October but very good later in the month after the rains
Best Find
Slender Club Fungi
Tadworth
I visited this area early in the month while the ground was very dry, so apart from a few Honey Fungi there was very little to see
Best Find
Honey Fungi
Thursley Common
Last year Thursley was a great location for fungi, but this year not so good
I visited the Common later in October after the heavy rains so I expected to see a lot more fungi but it was rather disappointing
Best Find
Orange Spindle Coral fungus
Wagonners Wells
Always very good, and October was no exception
Highlights were masses of coral fungus and several large Fly Agaric
Best Find
Coral fungi
White Downs
Excellent mid to late October
Plenty of variety
Best Find
Coral Spot fungi
Naming fungi is notoriously difficult with so many similar species
Specialist techniques are required in some cases to narrow down a particular fungi
I’ve tried to be as accurate as I can with the names of fungi in this blog, but drop me a line if you think I’ve got anything horrendously wrong! Thanks :)
