We of a certain age will remember that catchy refrain from the 1980s band Lipps Inc. Or at least it sounded something like that.
Fly Agaric
This has been a strange year for fungi. Maybe I missed them, but for the first time that I can recall we have not seen the Fairy Toadstools or Fly Agarics (Amanita muscaria), pictured left, decorating the floor of our pine grove. However with the recent rains, mushrooms and toadstools are popping up all over the place. Here are a few of the more funky fungi I have recently noticed around the place.
“Pixie’s Wading Pool’
Pictured right are specimens from the Cup fungi family with the scientific name Aleurina ferruginea. I cannot find a common name for them, but given they are only 3–4 mm across, I am proposing the name Pixie’s Wading Pools. Even though they are quite common, due to their size you will need to keep a sharp eye out to see them. They exist in dispersed groups and tight clusters of individuals on (very small) bare patches of ground.
Jelly Fungus
The Jelly Fungus (Tremella mesenterica) pictured left is one of the earliest fungi to appear in the season. It has a gelatinous texture and is found throughout eucalypt forests on fallen tree trunks and branches.
Golden Jelly-bells
Another common fungus on dead logs is Golden Jelly-bells (Heterotextus peziziformis). It starts its life orange in colour that fades with age, but eventually dries deep orange in colour.
Very funky indeed!
Flowerdale Landcare 