Category Archives: Fungi

Blogs referring to fungi on campus

Rare rust on lords and ladies

This is the parasitic rust fungus Puccinia sessilis stated to be rather rare on Arum maculatum.  Many rusts manage the difficult trick of parasitising two entirely unrelated host plants, in both cases establishing a close relationship which allows the fungus … Continue reading

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Orange pustules 2

Most fungi prefer warm and moist conditions so it’s not surprising that fungal pathogens are harder to find on plants in winter. A pathogen that is common on campus at the moment is Puccinia malvacearum, the Hollyhock Rust. This occurs … Continue reading

Posted in Flowering Plants, Fungi, Galls, Malvaceae, Plant Pathology Research Group | Tagged | Leave a comment

Reading Science Week and the Symbiosis Project

Reading Science Week is here! The resident exhibition, open from Saturday 15th March and all week, is the Imagining Science Symbiosis Project. A key member of the Symbiosis project is Immy Smith, an artist and a neuroscientist, with a fascination for biological and surreal … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Herbarium RNG, Lichen | Leave a comment

Powdery mildew phenology; it will be back!

Over the next few months I will be bringing you up to speed with the, increasingly specific, workings of powdery mildews (PMs) (Erysiphales) present on the University of Reading, Whiteknights, campus during the past year. Records and sitings on campus … Continue reading

Posted in Climate, Fungi, Phenology, Plant Pathology Research Group, Plants, Rosaceae, Surveys, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Armillaria spp.: attack of the deadly bootlaces!

Even as the days become shorter, there’s always time to admire other forms of biodiversity out there on campus. Take these fungi, for example… I found these last month by Creighton Court (off Northcourt Avenue). I think it could be one … Continue reading

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Shocking pink is back!

It was shocking pink lipstick in the 1960s. Now shocking pink fungus is appearing on our trees! Illiosporiopsis christiansenii is a bright pink fungus which grows on various lichens that are common in nitrogen-enriched places. Although Whiteknights is not close … Continue reading

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Orange pustules

Puccinia lageniphorae is a common rust fungus that occurs on a large number of host plants. Among these are Senecio vulgaris (Groundsel) and Bellis perennis (Daisy). Both of these plants are common on campus. Groundsel occurs on disturbed ground, in flowerbeds and in paving cracks. … Continue reading

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Ink Caps, Hare’s Feet: Toadstools on campus

A combination of mild damp autumnal weather and an abundance of wood chippings on campus seems to be paying dividends for the fungal flora of Whiteknights. Here we see the Hare’s Foot Ink Cap (Coprinopsis lagopus) flourishing on wood chippings near … Continue reading

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R is for Russula

My morning walk through the Wilderness tells me Summer has gone and Autumn is here.  Next to the path is a large (ca. 15cm diameter) red capped mushroom with a white stipe, white gills, no milky sap, no collar and … Continue reading

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BioBlitz Highlights

What a weekend! As well as amazing weather, we were lucky to have so many enthusiastic people joining us at the first ever Whiteknights BioBlitz. Friday night saw a large group gather for the start of the bat walk, run … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Fungi, Galls, Meetings/Events, News, Plants, Surveys | 1 Comment