On Christmas Day 2008, just before the arrival of severe cold weather, I went to collect fungal specimens in the neighbouring Mole Valley district. To my surprise I found a large number of small toadstools fruiting beneath leaf litter. One of them was Marasmius hudsonii growing on fallen holly leaves, the first record substantiated with a specimen in the south-east. It seemed that a thick layer of rotting leaves on the ground worked as insulation, making the condition underneath suitable for fruiting of small toadstools. Naturally, this was deposited at the Mycology Herbarium, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Encouraged, Brian Spooner and I attempted to find this species in the Esher area during the New Year period, but to no avail. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant experience to see so many toadstools beneath a warm `duvet' of leaf litter, amid frozen landscape. Our records are reported here:
On 1 January 2009, when the day's minimum air temperature was -3°C, three species were recorded by Brian and myself on Esher Common south:
Marasmius epiphyllus on rotten leaves, Fraxinus and ? Hedera helix
Mycena capillaris on leaves, Fagus sylvatica
Mycena polyadelphaon leaves, Quercus robur
On 11 January 2009, after the Society's January bird walk which followed a night with temperatures down to -5°C, 12 species were recorded on West End Common, which included:
Marasmius epiphyllus on rotten leaves, Fraxinus and ? Hedera helix
Mycena capillaris on leaves, Fagus sylvatica
Mycena metata on twig, Quercus robur, deposited at herb. RBG Kew (M)
Mycena polyadelphaon leaves, Quercus robur
Mariko Parslow