Fungi in Rockingham Forest
Shaggy Inkcaps
Fungi in Rockingham Forest
by John Haughton
Fungus of the month
Species to look out for in the forest in each month of the year
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November: Dryad's Saddle
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December: two bracket fungi
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January: Scarlet Elfcup
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February: Tripe Fungus
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March: Velvet Shank
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April: St George's Mushroom
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May: two ganoderma species
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June: Sulphur Tuft
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July: Common Eyelash
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August: Fairy-ring Champignon
Fly Agaric in Fineshade Woods
Identifying fungi
If you are new to the appreciation and study of fungi (or mycology) there are resources here that will guide you into this fascinating new world.
Names and technical terms
Many of the larger fungi have both English and Scientific names and you sometimes need to know both. The British Mycological Society website has a useful list of all the current English names.
Recommended books and websites
There are limitations to the use of pictures to identify fungi. Most books will have the same common species included, but they may have a different selection of rarer species. Unfortunately, they are often expensive!
Here are lists of books and websites that I have found helpful .
Where to find fungi?
For those of us living in, or having an interest in the area of Rockingham Forest there are lots of places where fungi can be found. The most obvious and possibly most prolific areas for fungi are woodland and in preparing this list of places to visit to look for fungi I have been surprised by how many places there are that are freely open for public access.
Corby as a new town was built on part of Rockingham Forest and therefore gardens and road side verges can often be home to varieties of grassland fungi. My walk to the town from Danesholme through Beanfield estate is often very rewarding with several different fungi to be seen at different times of the year.
I am sure that I will have missed some good sites from this list without even considering other privately owned land in this area.