There are 22 species of fungi called disco, according to the British Mycological Society’s list of English Names for Fungi 2016, and they have some delightful names, mostly referring to what they grow on, I think: Larch, Conifer, Larch canker, Rush, Heath sedge, Mast, Juniper, Fir and, my personal favourite, Hairy Nuts Disco!
So far I’ve only found two. My excuse is that they’re tiny, only a few millimetres across, so they’re difficult to spot, and many are quite rare. This first one is probably Lemon Disco (Bisporella citrina), and is actually one of the more common discos. It’s a wood-rotter that can be found growing – often in the thousands – on decaying deciduous trees, particularly oak.
This second fungus may be Snowy disco (Lachnum virgineum) – like so many fungi, it requires microscopic examination for a definite ID, and I haven’t reached that level in my mycological evolution … yet! Snowy disco also grows on dead and decaying wood, and is said to be frequent, though I’ve only found it once in 18 months of foraying.
tarnegolita said:
Hairy Nuts Disco!! 😂 Who thinks of these names?
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sconzani said:
The boffins of the British Mycological Society! I think they have a few laughs doing it. I definitely want to find that fungus. 😉
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tarnegolita said:
Haha, only the British could come up with names like those 😂
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Pete Hillman said:
These are beautiful, Annie! The lemon yellow ones are so bright!
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sconzani said:
Thanks a lot, Pete. If that lemon one hadn’t been so bright, I doubt I would’ve noticed it at all.
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Paul Challinor said:
Annie we really must go and look for the Hairy Nuts Disco.
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sconzani said:
I’m not sure I’ve ever been propositioned in quite that way before, Paul! 😉
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