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These pages highlight interesting records made not just on NIFG forays. So if you have any good finds, please send them to me. This could include any records in Ireland, not just Northern Ireland. 

Click here for interesting finds for 2003

Click here for interesting finds between January - August 2001

Click here for interesting finds between September- December 2001

• The first year of the EHS Waxcap Survey of Northern Ireland struggled with the poor year, but still some good finds were made. Hygrocybe laeta var. flava, Entoloma cyaneoviridescens, the purple Paecilomyces marquandii on the gills of Hygrocybe virginea and Conocybe pubescens were all new records to Ireland found by Liz Holden. Roy Anderson also found Rigidiporous ulmarius and Hiericium cirrhatum, the latter new to Northern Ireland. 

Paecilomyces marquandii 

• On a Halloween holiday in a wet Co.Kerry, I had some good finds including Lactarius violescens and Cortinarius sanguineus from the wonderful Muckross Woods and Agaricus bernardii from near Eyeries in Co.Cork.

Cortinarius sanguineus 

• From the last NIFG forays of 2002, despite the poor season, there were good finds. The highlights of these were Leucoagaricus badhamii, Leucocoprinus cepaestipes, Rhodocybe gemina (all new records to Ireland) and masses of earthstars (both Geastrum triplex and Geastrum striatum) all from Belvedere Demesne in Co.Westmeath. 2002 was really the year of the earthstars. 

• Tricholomas can be hard to find in Northern Ireland. There are a few species that are found commonly like T.album, T.fulvum, T.sciodes, T.saponaceum, T.stiparophyllum (pseudoalbum), T.sulphurescens and T.ustale, but other than these, they are quite notable finds. The Flora Neerlandica Vol 4 describes them as particularly under threat due to air pollution, nitrification and changes in forest management. So, it is good to find species like T.columbetta (Clandeboye Estate, 28 Sep 02).

•  A new site was found for Microglossum olivaceum at Ballycastle Coalfields near Fair Head on 19 September. Hygrocybe calyptriformis was also there with 18 other species of waxcap. 

• My son, Luke, found another BAP species new to Northern Ireland, in Donard Park. It is the hydnoid fungus, Hydnellum spongiosipes, and was found under an old Sweet Chestnut by Donard Bridge. This was after descending from Slieve Donard where Lactarius hysginus, Russula pascua and another unidentified Russula were found on the Salix herbacea (Dwarf Willow). Entoloma prunuloides was found in the Glen River Valley above the trees which rounded off a good day!

• A very spectacular find (now confirmed) is that of Armillaria ectypa, a BAP species and possibly only the third record in the British Isles. It is a honey fungus, but grows singly in Spahgnum. It was found by Mark on the Garron Plateau.

• A spectacular find at the Glenmore foray was Phylloporus pelletieri, the gilled bolete. Its gills are a spectacular bright yellow and are strongly interveined. Apart from this, it looks just like a Boletus subtomentosus! A first for Ireland. 

• St George's Mushroom, Calocybe gambosa, was fruiting away. I have had large finds on May 2 and 5. Look among nettles and rubbishy path edges for white mushrooms with a strong flour smell. 

• Further thoughts on the Coleraine Morels. I found the site on 2 May and there were 100+ specimens fruiting in this flowerbed. Chris observed that this flowerbed and that in Jordanstown were both newly reworked and the mulch and wood chips were also new. The mycelia probably came with the wood chips and it will be interesting to see if they fruit there next year.

• An odd find for this time of year was the bright red Stropharia aurantiaca in wood chips in a playground at Castleward on 21 April. 

• It is Morel time and there have been a few finds this year. Chris first found Morchella elata in Coleraine town centre (13 April) in a flowerbed and then Morchella elata and esculenta (19 April) in a flowerbed in the University of Ulster campus at Jordanstown. A few were dried. Most were eaten. 

• In early January 2002, I found Cordyceps capitata under Beech along the Shimna River. Unfortunately, the ground was frozen solid so I couldn't dig up the truffule (Elaphomyces sp.) that this species was parasitising.

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