This was an interesting trip down to Sassafras Gully at Springwood. Like the week before, I was joined by Liz Kabanoff and on that occasion we had visited Birdwood Gully on the other side of the town.
Mycena mamaku
We set off down the track at the end of Sassafras Gully Road. We did not find that much out higher up, nor that much out lower down, but we did find some interesting species. One highlight was found by Liz. It was Mycena mamaku. This very distinctive shaped species was surprisingly tiny. I think it has seldom been seen locally, and that could be on account of its small size. It is probably often ignored. Here are some more photos –
This species also has a ring of hairs around the base of the stipe.
Here are some of the other species we saw –
Amparoina spinosissima
This is another very distinctive and small species. It can be distinguished by the presence of spines on it cap. The ones we found on this visit were all growing on fallen galls –
Another very tiny and often ignored species is Delicatula integrella. It grows on dirt banks, logs, roots or even rocks. It is very small, translucent and always has a ragged higgledy-piggledy appearance
Some of the other fungi we saw –
And some slime moulds –
The second one looks like it may have been infected with a fungal mould.
We found the creek below the Victory Track junction was very flood and storm damaged. Large parts of the banks had been washed away on the norther side, and further downstream there were lots of fallen trees over the track on the southern side. When we arrived at the junction with the Wiggins Track, there seemed to be a storm approaching, so we beat a hasty retreat. This was wise. We made it to an overhang in the cliffline when the storm hit. It was a good refuge from the storm and also a good place to have lunch in.