I wandered down to Royal National Park yesterday to see how the fungi was going. I started off at the Palona Creek Picnic Area, and then went back to Bola Creek.
Both places were very good. I found many beautiful Hygrocybes, Mycenas, Jellies, Cup and Corals.
Palona Creek has a hidden picnic area with two most covered picnic tables hidden on the side of the creek just upstream from where Lady Carrington Drive crosses the creek. I parked my gear here and wandered around seeing what I could spot. On my last visit, about a month earlier, we had found some nice clubs, cups and jelly fungi. I was not too surprised to see the cup fungi still much the same – it looks fairly robust. The club fungi was still there and seemed a bit larger and more abundant than before.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the Tooth Jelly Fungi almost unchanged. These are very nice. Nearby, and quite new were some beautiful green Hygrocybe graminicolor fungi.
Hidden in the forest were some slime moulds (Ceratiomyxa fruticulosa – Icicle Fairy Fans)
The slime mould
I then packed up and headed back to Bola Creek. On my way, just before the road crosses the creek, the bank next to the road was covered in a thick mass of moss. Hidden amongst the moss was the unmistakable sight of some striking red hygrocybes. The more I looked the more I found. Not only red hygrocybes, but more green ones, some yellow – orange ones and some green orange ones. And a few coral fungi! What a nice mix.
After I finished here, I didn’t have too much time left. So I explored the flat area on the other (south) side of Bola Creek on the other side of the road to the picnic area. This was also very good. Near the creek some logs revealed quite a few large large Toothed Jelly fungi (Pseudohydnum gelatinous). Other logs had clusters of Mycenas. Scattered around were the odd Hygrocybe and coral fungi. Very nice.
There is a lot more to see and explore here. Another visit soon?
See my gallery of photos of the fungi here, which has my attempts at identification (and I am grateful here with help with the Hygrocybes from Ray and Elma Kearney of the Sydney Fungal Studies Group Inc)