EFC fungus foray on 9th October 2004 to Davy Down (mainly
Brickbarn Wood in TQ5879)
Mary Smith 33 Gaynes Park Road, Upminster, Essex RM14 2HJ
A group of 8 people (including two visitors who found us from the website) met at half
past ten near the pumping station at Davy Down, South Ockendon. The day was bright
and dry, but chilly with an easterly breeze. I warned the group that there would be very
little to see as the ground was so very dry down here on the Thames Terraces where it
hardly ever rains, but assured the group there were other things of interest too. My
warnings were luckily quite unnecessary, as we recorded about 30 species for the morning,
due solely to the enthusiasm and sharp eyes of the seven people with me.
We started near the pumping station (in TQ5980) where some large cut logs were
surrounded by a good growth of Bay Cups Peziza badia. Across the track under a
hedge, Steve Mitchell, the Ranger at Davy Down, showed us remains of several Giant
Puffballs Calvatia gigantea and we spent a few minutes looking at their 'powder puff
action of spreading their brown spores.
We set off across the grass to the stile under the railway viaduct to explore Brickbarn
Wood on the slopes south of the Mardyke. On the open slopes (in TQ5979), with scrubby
bushes of Elder, Roses, Brambles and dead Elm, we found Honey Fungus Armillaria
agg and Hairy Curtain Crust Stereum hirsutum on dead wood and Wrinkled Peach
Rhodotus palmatus on dead Elm. The black 'bootlaces' or rhizomorphs of Honey Fungus
were seen and admired on old wood where the bark had fallen off. Yellow Fieldcap
Bolbitius vitellinus. Pleated Inkcap Coprinus plicatilis and Glistening Inkcap Coprinus
micaceus were all seen on well-dunged soil due to the large number of horses that were
there only the week before. A small Deceiver Laccaria laccata was found, and several
Conical Brittlestem Psathyrella conopilus in various scrubby places.
As we went along we admired the sarsen stones that lie all over the place up there,
formed about 20 million years ago in a shallow sea as an irregular layer of sandstone.
The slabs that are exposed are very impressive, with their 'glurps' or ripple markings
still very clear.
In Brickbarn Wood (in TQ5879) the tree cover was mainly Oak, Elder, Ash, Hawthorn,
Elm (mostly dead), a few Hornbeam and a few Silver Birch. Here we found more of the
ones seen earlier, but lots more extras, including the exciting finds of Field Bird's-nest
Cyathus olla and Fluted Bird's-nest C. striatus. Both were growing under green
vegetation, mainly Nettles, and were only found because some of our group had sticks
and used them to move aside the greenery. We were very excited by both these finds, as
they are unusual fungi and beautiful to behold, both with little funnel-shaped cases with
tiny 'eggs' nestling in the bottom. There were at least 50 of the second one, but only a
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 46, January 2005 25