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Urban fungi — A few words of encouragement
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Volume 9, Part 2, May 1995
URBAN FUNGI - A FEW WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT ALANLEGG 36 Carleton Drive, Darlington, Co Durham DL3 9QP '... probably the most successful (collectors) have been those who have concentrated on very small specific areas surveyed over a period of years.' A Fungus Flora of Warwickshire (Ed. Clark, 1980)
John Slater's (1993) brief comments on the fungi of Sefton Park, Liverpool, recently heralded a series on Town Fungi. As a collector of such fungi for nearly 25 years, I was disappointed to see no follow-up to this short article. The purpose of the present communication is to offer a few thoughts, based on long experience, on the advantages of working in urban sites. A few fungi actually prefer or have adapted successfully to conditions in towns, a notorious example being Serpula lacrymans (Wulf.) Schroet., Dry Rot. The discomycete, Peziza cerea Sow., is known to colonise old, damp plaster, and a case recently came to my attention of its fruiting bodies pushing through a new carpet in the offices of a warehouse in Darlington. A propos of parks and gardens, specimens of Tuber rufum Pico and Melanogaster ambiguus (Vittad.) Tul. were recently sent to me from a domestic garden and a public park respectively in Sunderland. Hypogeous fungi are quite likely to come to light more frequently in sites where digging is a routine activity. Such discoveries, however, are usually serendipitous and in fact urban areas do offer scope for a variety of more purposeful fungal surveys. Not only do they normally have large public parks, gardens and river banks but nowadays small conservation plots, ecology parks, and 'wild' areas are fostered by local authorities and other bodies. Far from discouraging surveys, the managers of such sites are often keen to receive information about them from naturalists of whatever persuasion. Accessibility is rarely a problem. My own experience (Legg, 1991, 1992) has
centred on the fungi of Darlington West Cemetery and much of what follows has been gleaned from study of this site. The current species-count at 18th February 1995 is 675 but this figure grows almost weekly and there is as yet little sign of deceleration in the rate of accumulation of new records. The first advantage of the urban site is that of convenience. Most people live or work in towns and can afford an hour or two at weekends to examine at least part of a site at regular intervals. Even a half-hour stroll during the lunch break or immediately on leaving work can be remarkably productive of records, especially during the main fruiting season. Very little time need be wasted on travelling (which is not always true of residential forays). Secondly, once a routine is established, the handiness of such sites favours collecting throughout the year. The usual pattern is that autumn collecting leads to spring visits which then become extended through the summer. Finally, the discomforts of winter are ignored for the sake of the many fungi that flourish in cold and damp conditions. Those who keep records of everything found year by year will begin to see patterns of all kinds emerging from their data. Snap-shots yield valuable information, but the continuous videorecording provides far more. Old friends will be found amongst the mycorrhizal species and the times and conditions when particular fruitings are likely to occur will soon be learned. Gaps will be found amongst the common species followed by speculation on why such and such a common fungus is absent from the site. Conversely, if a 'rarity' is present - and, paradoxically, few sites are without these - valuable information may be gathered about its climatological and habitat preferences. It will become evident that some species are 'regulars', as is Geopora sumneriana (Cooke)de la Torre in Darlington (see Fig 6 on the
Volume 9, Part 2, May 1995 back cover of this issue). Others only appear at irregular intervals, often several years. Those who persist long enough will learn things about mycorrhizal succession. For example, those spectacular fruitings of Hebeloma crustuliniforme (Bull.) Quel, and Lactarius pubescens (Schrad.) Fr. that so often accompany young colonies of new plantings of birch will eventually give way to other species - of Lactarius Russula, Leccinum, Cortinarius and other genera. Old and diseased birches often lose their fungal companions altogether though the cause and effect are often impossible to distentangle in such cases. The enthusiast will discover which species are opportunistic and will look closely to see what colonises that disturbed area or fire-site. Such intensive management as occurs in places of public amenity may seem very frustrating. A late mowing can wreak havoc in turfed areas and weeding and tree-litter removal can severely curtail the inroads made by many micro-fungi. The wisdom of the fungi may be beyond the wit of man to fathom but that of site-managers is not. Fungi are always ready to move in. That thicket impenetrable to modern machinery and those hidden corners where wild plants flourish along with their parasitic and saprophytic fungal companions will soon be perceived as a challenge. Nowadays 'wild' patches are frequently left undisturbed and it can be fascinating to chronicle the succession of fungal invaders. Even the most intensively-managed site retains its trees - or at least some of them. Thus an expedition after high winds can be very fruitful. The site may be short offallen trunks and rotting limbs but smaller branches and twigs can be equally rewarding especially as far as ascomycetes and coelomycetes are concerned. The very branches the wind has dislodged will tend to be the ones fungally infected at the breaking point. Attached dead twigs should not be ignored. In this respect an artificial site may have advantages since there is likely to be a greater range of trees and many of these may be pendulous varieties. What could be more convenient than to stroll around a weeping ash, beech or elm and inspect its branches for microfungi? Commitment to a site means that the collector is gradually nudged into areas of mycology that once seemed beyond his scope. Once the microscope barrier has been overcome - and this takes
time - vast fields of unexpected pleasure will open up. Depending on previous knowledge and degree of commitment, it is easy to move into the field of phytoparasites such as the powdery mildews and rusts. The inoffensive dung of rabbits and squirrels can provide endless scope for study, especially in winter. Persistence will prove that many microfungi are in fact much easier to identify than some of the larger fungi which attract beginners. There are of course areas into which the amateur cannot stray but, in recent years, a literature has begun to accumulate which allows at least some access to most groups. This author has, for example, been especially indebted to the two volumes on microfungi by Ellis and Ellis (1985, 1988). Finally, since you may well be asking why you should expend so much time and effort on one tiny area when there are so many exciting rural sites to explore, let me reassure you. Such apparently eccentric, obsessional behaviour might seem selflimiting but is in fact liberating. Much of the expertise gained at your site is in fact transferable to others. You may once have set out in spring with high hopes ofbringing back bags full ofmorels and other such large, early-fruiting fungi and returned with only the odd St George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa (Fr.) Sing.), Polyporus brumalis (Pers.) Fr. or an unidentifiable Psathyrella. Perhaps you once attended a spring foray - as I did not so long ago - and wondered what on earth everyone was managing to find. If so, take heart. The experience gained in your special urban site will stand you in goodstead; you will eventually be able to record more fungi in spring and summer than you did in the autumn. You will rarely return home without a species previously unknown to you, a new county record or a fungus till then unknown to Britain or even to science! References Clark, M.C. (1980) A Fungus Flora of Warwickshire. British Mycological Society, London. Ellis, M.B. & Ellis, J.P. (1985) Microfungi on Land Plants. London: Croom Helm. Ellis, M.B. & Ellis, J.P. (1988) Microfungi on Miscellaneous Substrates. London: Croom Helm. Legg, A.W. (1991) The Fungi of Darlington West Cemetery. Mycologist 5 pp. 195-196. Legg, A.W. (1992) The Fungi of Darlington West Cemetery. The Vasculum 77 pp. 21--43. Slater, J. (1993) A Survey of Fungi in Sefton Park, Liverpool. Mycologist 7 p. 94.
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Volume 9, Part 2, May 1995
URBAN FUNGI - A FEW WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT ALANLEGG 36 Carleton Drive, Darlington, Co Durham DL3 9QP '... probably the most successful (collectors) have been those who have concentrated on very small specific areas surveyed over a period of years.' A Fungus Flora of Warwickshire (Ed. Clark, 1980)
John Slater's (1993) brief comments on the fungi of Sefton Park, Liverpool, recently heralded a series on Town Fungi. As a collector of such fungi for nearly 25 years, I was disappointed to see no follow-up to this short article. The purpose of the present communication is to offer a few thoughts, based on long experience, on the advantages of working in urban sites. A few fungi actually prefer or have adapted successfully to conditions in towns, a notorious example being Serpula lacrymans (Wulf.) Schroet., Dry Rot. The discomycete, Peziza cerea Sow., is known to colonise old, damp plaster, and a case recently came to my attention of its fruiting bodies pushing through a new carpet in the offices of a warehouse in Darlington. A propos of parks and gardens, specimens of Tuber rufum Pico and Melanogaster ambiguus (Vittad.) Tul. were recently sent to me from a domestic garden and a public park respectively in Sunderland. Hypogeous fungi are quite likely to come to light more frequently in sites where digging is a routine activity. Such discoveries, however, are usually serendipitous and in fact urban areas do offer scope for a variety of more purposeful fungal surveys. Not only do they normally have large public parks, gardens and river banks but nowadays small conservation plots, ecology parks, and 'wild' areas are fostered by local authorities and other bodies. Far from discouraging surveys, the managers of such sites are often keen to receive information about them from naturalists of whatever persuasion. Accessibility is rarely a problem. My own experience (Legg, 1991, 1992) has
centred on the fungi of Darlington West Cemetery and much of what follows has been gleaned from study of this site. The current species-count at 18th February 1995 is 675 but this figure grows almost weekly and there is as yet little sign of deceleration in the rate of accumulation of new records. The first advantage of the urban site is that of convenience. Most people live or work in towns and can afford an hour or two at weekends to examine at least part of a site at regular intervals. Even a half-hour stroll during the lunch break or immediately on leaving work can be remarkably productive of records, especially during the main fruiting season. Very little time need be wasted on travelling (which is not always true of residential forays). Secondly, once a routine is established, the handiness of such sites favours collecting throughout the year. The usual pattern is that autumn collecting leads to spring visits which then become extended through the summer. Finally, the discomforts of winter are ignored for the sake of the many fungi that flourish in cold and damp conditions. Those who keep records of everything found year by year will begin to see patterns of all kinds emerging from their data. Snap-shots yield valuable information, but the continuous videorecording provides far more. Old friends will be found amongst the mycorrhizal species and the times and conditions when particular fruitings are likely to occur will soon be learned. Gaps will be found amongst the common species followed by speculation on why such and such a common fungus is absent from the site. Conversely, if a 'rarity' is present - and, paradoxically, few sites are without these - valuable information may be gathered about its climatological and habitat preferences. It will become evident that some species are 'regulars', as is Geopora sumneriana (Cooke)de la Torre in Darlington (see Fig 6 on the
Volume 9, Part 2, May 1995 back cover of this issue). Others only appear at irregular intervals, often several years. Those who persist long enough will learn things about mycorrhizal succession. For example, those spectacular fruitings of Hebeloma crustuliniforme (Bull.) Quel, and Lactarius pubescens (Schrad.) Fr. that so often accompany young colonies of new plantings of birch will eventually give way to other species - of Lactarius Russula, Leccinum, Cortinarius and other genera. Old and diseased birches often lose their fungal companions altogether though the cause and effect are often impossible to distentangle in such cases. The enthusiast will discover which species are opportunistic and will look closely to see what colonises that disturbed area or fire-site. Such intensive management as occurs in places of public amenity may seem very frustrating. A late mowing can wreak havoc in turfed areas and weeding and tree-litter removal can severely curtail the inroads made by many micro-fungi. The wisdom of the fungi may be beyond the wit of man to fathom but that of site-managers is not. Fungi are always ready to move in. That thicket impenetrable to modern machinery and those hidden corners where wild plants flourish along with their parasitic and saprophytic fungal companions will soon be perceived as a challenge. Nowadays 'wild' patches are frequently left undisturbed and it can be fascinating to chronicle the succession of fungal invaders. Even the most intensively-managed site retains its trees - or at least some of them. Thus an expedition after high winds can be very fruitful. The site may be short offallen trunks and rotting limbs but smaller branches and twigs can be equally rewarding especially as far as ascomycetes and coelomycetes are concerned. The very branches the wind has dislodged will tend to be the ones fungally infected at the breaking point. Attached dead twigs should not be ignored. In this respect an artificial site may have advantages since there is likely to be a greater range of trees and many of these may be pendulous varieties. What could be more convenient than to stroll around a weeping ash, beech or elm and inspect its branches for microfungi? Commitment to a site means that the collector is gradually nudged into areas of mycology that once seemed beyond his scope. Once the microscope barrier has been overcome - and this takes
time - vast fields of unexpected pleasure will open up. Depending on previous knowledge and degree of commitment, it is easy to move into the field of phytoparasites such as the powdery mildews and rusts. The inoffensive dung of rabbits and squirrels can provide endless scope for study, especially in winter. Persistence will prove that many microfungi are in fact much easier to identify than some of the larger fungi which attract beginners. There are of course areas into which the amateur cannot stray but, in recent years, a literature has begun to accumulate which allows at least some access to most groups. This author has, for example, been especially indebted to the two volumes on microfungi by Ellis and Ellis (1985, 1988). Finally, since you may well be asking why you should expend so much time and effort on one tiny area when there are so many exciting rural sites to explore, let me reassure you. Such apparently eccentric, obsessional behaviour might seem selflimiting but is in fact liberating. Much of the expertise gained at your site is in fact transferable to others. You may once have set out in spring with high hopes ofbringing back bags full ofmorels and other such large, early-fruiting fungi and returned with only the odd St George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa (Fr.) Sing.), Polyporus brumalis (Pers.) Fr. or an unidentifiable Psathyrella. Perhaps you once attended a spring foray - as I did not so long ago - and wondered what on earth everyone was managing to find. If so, take heart. The experience gained in your special urban site will stand you in goodstead; you will eventually be able to record more fungi in spring and summer than you did in the autumn. You will rarely return home without a species previously unknown to you, a new county record or a fungus till then unknown to Britain or even to science! References Clark, M.C. (1980) A Fungus Flora of Warwickshire. British Mycological Society, London. Ellis, M.B. & Ellis, J.P. (1985) Microfungi on Land Plants. London: Croom Helm. Ellis, M.B. & Ellis, J.P. (1988) Microfungi on Miscellaneous Substrates. London: Croom Helm. Legg, A.W. (1991) The Fungi of Darlington West Cemetery. Mycologist 5 pp. 195-196. Legg, A.W. (1992) The Fungi of Darlington West Cemetery. The Vasculum 77 pp. 21--43. Slater, J. (1993) A Survey of Fungi in Sefton Park, Liverpool. Mycologist 7 p. 94.
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