Slime Mould (Reticularia lycoperdon)

Walking through Troserch Woods yesterday I came across this very odd species which looked exactly like moist putty oozing from the bark of a very old and dead tree, alongside the Morlais River.

Thanks to the Fungi section of BirdForum website, I now know that this is Slime Mould Reticularia lycoperdon previously classified as Enteridium lycoperdon. Slime Moulds are a strange class of amoeboid protozoa, previously thought to be fungi but now known to be Myxomycota, which are organisms which prey on microbial food webs. This particular species is a bacterial predator and usually very tiny and unlikely to be seen, but this particular stage of it’s life cycle is a fruiting body known as a sporangium. This is a globular formation which swells up to around 50-80mm (this was near to the top end of that scale), whereupon it hardens and then eventually splits to release brown mass of spores. Trichia, a member of the BirdForum community mentions that it usually likes to exit the wood via insect holes.

I’ll try to return and take a few more pictures as it matures, to see what happens.

Some new fungi in Troserch Woods.

Not so busy now in the woods now that winter is upon us, but still a few new species to add to our list. The first was very rubbery and slimey, and quite a lot were growing on a fallen Oak tree alongside the Morlais river. Would seem to have all the hallmarks of an Olive Oysterling (Sarcomyxa serotina).

We also had a white jelly-type fungus growing on an old hazel branch, which looks like it could be Crystal Brain Fugus (Exidia nucleata). There were other jelly-type fungus about including Ascocoryne and Auricularia and a rather aggressive orange slime mould, which seemed to be devouring a bracket fungus. 

First Woodcock of the winter

Saw my first woodcock of the winter today whilst walking the dogs.  They will suddenly fly up in front of you, nearly giving you a heart attack. They arrive every year from colder climes as the winter there begins to bite, resting up in our woods during the day and feeding in the surrounding fields at night.

Wildlife report now available on blogsite.

We have uploaded a digital version of an excellent Wildlife report on Troserch Woods. This report was compiled for us by Ian K. Morgan, a local naturalist and author, in January 2007, soon after we acquired the woods in October 2006.

The report also contains the results of a wildlife survey, conducted by Llanelli Naturalists in April 2002. This is a very thorough account of all the wildlife species encountered on the visit, although concentrating mainly on the flowers and plants. This would be an ideal starting point should anyone wish to do a photographic record of  of the Flowers of Troserch Woods which we could add to our Flickr site.

Download Report

The link to the report is also shown opposite, under "Reports and Resources" and it can be downloaded to your own computer and printed out. It is a large report so allow time for it to download.

Our Fungi Total now stands at 90

Possibly Tremella foliacea or Brown Witch's Butter.

We are slowly moving towards our unofficial target of 100 identified fungi species by the end of the year. We use the word "identified" in the loosest possible sense because, although we have tried to record the different species correctly, we are not experts (or mycologists!) and mistakes will have been made; indeed correct identification of many species of fungi can only be done by examination under a microscope.

Pictures of the fungi we have "identified" can be found on our Flickr site, see the link opposite. We would appreciate any comments or corrections you may wish to add. You must therefore not take this account as any indication as to edibility. Many fungi are poisonous to eat.

It's a tough world out there in our woods.

A fungus growing on a fungus, growing on a fungus. 


The white mildew is probably a parasitic fungus called the Bolete Eater (Hypomyces chrysospermus), which itself is growing on a fungus commonly known as the Parasitic Bolete (Pseudoboletus parasiticus). This in itself is growing on a Common Earthball, (Scleroderma citrinum), which has sent out coarse mycelial threads into the surrounding earth to feed itself and all the hangers on.

Butterflies of Troserch Woods

We have now added an ongoing photographic record of the butterflies seen in Troserch Woods. See the links section opposite or click here.