A rare fungus and a conservation success.

I have an ongoing project photographing decay in woodland and on one outing in the Forest of Dean last autumn I chanced upon some interesting fungi on a wind thrown sessile oak bough. Two fungi I could identify were Leafy Brain (Tremella foliacea) and Hairy Curtain Crust (Stereum hirsutum) another fungus that I had seen a long time before, which despite my best efforts I had failed to identify. A photographic record was made and back at home a new fungi field reference book consulted and google searches made. I was pretty certain it was the Brown Brain fungus (Tremella Steidleri) and noted it was very seldom recoded. Just to be absolutely certain I uploaded some photos onto www.ispotnature.org and the site users confirmed the identity.

Brown Brain and Leafy Brain fungi

The rarity of the fungus became apparent on consulting the British Field Mycology Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland that had 28 records. The Forestry Commission and Dean Fungus Group were contacted to notify them and I subsequently met up with the Chairman and Secretary of the Dean Fungus Group to show them the site, an interesting conversation on all things mycology ensued and I learnt that the Brown Brown Fungus had never been recorded in the Forest of Dean in well over a century of forays. The Forestry Commission despatched a ranger to mark up the area to prevent any disturbance to the site.

Leafy Brain fungus and Brown Brain fungus

The Forestry Commissions policy was once to clear away all deadwood, now in these more enlightened times a conservation approach to woodlands is to leave deadwood within the woodland environment for organisms that need deadwood as a habitat. Both the Leafy Brain and Brown Brain fungus parasitise Hairy Curtain Crust fungus, that in turn breaks down dead wood.  The new conservation approach appears to be paying dividends.

A different woodland and again on a wind thrown oak bough with Hairy Curtain Crust fungi present, a decomposing fungus that might be another specimen of Brown Brain fungus.

I subsequently visited the woodland where I had recalled seeing the Brown Brain Fungus before and after some searching found a fungus well past its best on a wind thrown oak bough. To my eyes it had more than a passing similarity to Brown Brain fungus. I'll return next autumn to see if a fresh specimen appears. Both woodland sites are categorised as ancient/ancient semi natural.