@botanycornwall
22 year old botanist and mycologist. South-west UK, but mainly Cornwall & Devon. Passionate about plants and their plight. Chair of the BSBI Events & Communications committee. 2nd year student at the University of Plymouth. #iamabotanist #iamamycologist
A morning jaunt to a local nature reserve in Plymouth unveiled a gorgeous colony of Autumn Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes spiralis). A herald of autumn, this gorgeous species is largely restricted to south Britain often found growing on dry calcareous soils. A beautiful species and one of my favourites!
Team Plymouth now on the way back from Cambridge after an absolutely brilliant time participating in Botanical University Challenge! I'm so proud of how far our team got, and I'm already looking forward to participating next year!
Having a fantastic time at the Botanical University Challenge Student Botanty Festival! Really fascinating panel talk at the moment talking about the crucial questions in botany and ecology! Lovely to see the BSBI Countries Manager James Harding-Morris on stage too!
Reading, Plymouth Teams. Final picture.
19 points each!The 4th tiebreaker between Reading and Plymouth in Botanical University Challenge Correct answer from Plymouth, so they are through to the final. #BUC2025
Huge congratulations to the team from Plymouth @plymbiomarsci.bsky.social led by the fabulous @botanycornwall.bsky.social!
After a bit of a hiatus in social media I will hopefully be getting back to posting a little more regularly!
A pretty major life update is that I will be moving to London at the end of August to begin my internship at RBG Kew! I am dead excited to start, but definitely feeling a bit nervous!
Hypocreopsis lichenoides
#Hypocreopsislichenoides #Hypocreopsis #Trollhand #willowgloves #WeidenScheinflechtenpilz #mushroom #mushrooms #fungus #fungi #pilz #pilze #champignons #champignon #nature #natur #FungiFriends
An illustration titled "Pathogens of Succisa pratensis Moench". It shows a plant of Succisa with a brown leaf spot labelled Septoria succisicola, yellow pustules labelled Synchytrium succisae, a brown flower smut Microbotrum flosculorum, a white flower smut Microbotryum succisae, a white mildew on the stem Erysiphe knautiae, and a downy mildew Peronospora violacea on the flowers which causes them to be larger, redder, and without anthers. A close-up is shown of the conidiophores of Peronospora violacea which look like small trees with spores on them.
Some of the fungi and oomycetes that infect Devil's Bit Scabious - keep a look out next year! #FungiFriends #PlantPathogens
Can parasites co-occur on the same plant, and if so, how competitive are they??
A sign that says 'the stairway to Devon' with some other info about a restoration project, stuck to some railings.
There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying
Hairy Greenweed, Genista pilosa, NR.
West Cornwall, May 2017.
Fungi in grass
Fungi in grass
Still a few #waxcap #fungi around locally at the moment. #mushrooms #mycology #fieldmycology 🍄📷 #fungifriends
bsky.app/profile/did:... I did one of those list things - just brilliant field botanists in GB & Ireland sharing fascinating plants from all around these islands. Let me know if you want adding!
I'd love to be added if you could!
OVER THE MOON! 😍
Golden bog-moss (Sphagnum pulchrum), a nationally v rare beastie, was presumed extinct on Britain’s 3rd largest raised bog…
That is, until today, where I stumbled upon this teeny area where it’s clinging on for dear life! Isn’t it a beaut? 😍🌱
Your talk at #BIBConf2024 has got me excited for this book!
Nothing quite beats the moment your long and wordy text document is laid out and the pdf actually looks like a book! Urban Plants 1st page proofs have arrived and I couldn’t be more excited #UrbanPlants #NatureWriting #botany @chiffchat.bsky.social www.bloomsbury.com/uk/urban-pla...
Thanks! There's plenty of great grassland fungi on campus.
Here are two of my favourite Waxcap species seen this year- the dainty Goblet Waxcap (Hygrocybe lepida), and Slimy Waxcap (Gliophorus irrigatus).
Both of these beautiful species were seen in species rich, coastal grassland in Cornwall.
I'm sharing my #research highlights as I'm new on this platform: firstly my #PhD review paper "The benefits of #mountain #woodland restoration" published in @restorationecology.bsky.social. Celebrating montane biodiversity & nature-based solutions! Read more: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Some more local Edinburgh Mistletoe. Very close to where I've lived for 44 years and only found out about it a few years ago! @bsbibotany.bsky.social
Plums and Custard Fungus tricholomopsis rutilans watercolour botanical illustration by lizzie harper
This is the #PlumsandCustard
#Fungus #Tricholomopsis rutilans. It's found in a local churchyard (Cusop) and was illustrated for an interpretation board extolling the diversity of plants and fungi growing there. Never underestimate a graveyard,they can be miniature nature reserves. #sciart #🐡
No worries haha, life is rather busy for me at the moment too! Get in touch when you can though, would be great to chat all things fungi!
Me too. I'll hopefully be doing some undergrad research there soon!
Aside from seeing so many beautiful Waxcap species this year, I have spent so much time in the field learning from talented ecologists, mycologists, and hyper-focused amateurs. I cherish the moments spent sharing the joy of finding a Parrot Waxcap, or the exhilaration in fleeing over-friendly sheep!
Split screen of Kay Burley on Sky News on the left and me on the right with a sprig of mistletoe behind me. The base text reads “Mistletoe traditions: is the mistletoe tradition dying?”
Let’s keep the #mistletoe tradition alive! (but no, “wokery” is not to blame for it declining…)
www.youtube.com/live/O8it38z...
(2:52:30)
When hunting for Waxcaps around Plymouth University campus, I chanced upon a tiny mushroom fruiting in abundance.
After a bit of searching it turned out to be a species of Fanvault (Hodophilus sp., fantastic common name). Microscopy was needed to reveal the species- H. variabilipes, a rare find!
More pictures from a brilliant 2024 Waxcap season, all from the species rich grasslands of Mt Edgecumbe Estate, Cornwall.
First is Yellow-foot Waxcap (Cuphophyllus flavipes, so named because of the yellowish base), Blushing Waxcap (Neohygrocybe ovina), and Citrine Waxcap (Hygrocybe citrinovirens).
The cold snap last week has brought the Waxcap season to an end in Cornwall- here are a few of my favourite pictures from this season!
First we have a gorgeous Parrot Waxcap (Gliophorus psittacinus), a delicate Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea), and a robust Crimson Waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea)!
