A Walk in the Forest, Part I

On 30 October Ingrid and I went for a wander in the Forêt de Preuilly. We only covered a couple of kilometres but we saw lots of things and got some nice photos. It should have been peak mushroom season, but even after a bit of rain, there were relatively few species, and nothing in abundance. 

 

Spanish Slug Arion vulgaris (Fr. loche méridionale), a species that varies a lot in colour, from dark brown to bright orange. Its English name is a result of confusion over the origin and identity of this species. Genetic studies show that the 'Spanish' Slug is very rare in Spain, but is native to north-west Europe (primarily France, Germany, Benelux).

Dusky Slugs Arion subfuscus (Fr. loche roussâtre), a fairly abundant species throughout France. This photo shows how the juveniles are more strongly marked. Apparently the slime this species produces was the inspiration a few years ago for a new biomedical glue that adheres to both wet and dry surfaces.

I assume this contraption is some sort of game feeding device. It was a sturdy tripod with a car battery on top, a motor attached to a plate that could spin underneath a suspended plastic container. If anyone knows for sure what this is, please let me know.

Common Greenshield lichen Flavoparmelia caperata (Fr. Parmélie froncée) is found on deciduous tree bark growing in wrinkled rosettes. The large lobes are not attached to the substrate, but loose and lift up a bit at the edges. It is present throughout France except at very high altitude.

Variable Oysterling Crepidotus variabilis (Fr. Crépidote variable) is a charming little mushroom which I find often in the forest on brash and small fallen branches.

This must be a tiny parasitic fungus. It's growing on a very degraded specimen of a gilled mushroom (so old it was unidentifiable, but it might have been honey fungus). I haven't been able to identify the tiny white mushrooms.

Turkey-tail Trametes versicolor (Fr. Polypore versicolore) is one of the most abundant fungi in the forest, found on many fallen branches and stumps. The top surface is in concentric bands of colours ranging from white to grey, black, red and beige. Underneath it is pure white with tiny pores, which yellows a bit with age.

Agile Frog Rana dalmatina (Fr. Grenouille agile) is a commonly encountered amphibian in the forest and easy to identify as unlike green frogs they do not vary much in pattern and coloration. Its distribution stretches from Sweden in the north, the Spanish Basque country in the south-west and Ukraine in the south-east.

Black Trumpets Craterellus cornucopioides (Fr. Trompettes de la mort) are a much sought after edible mushroom in these parts. I did indeed pick these and eat them. They are not easy to spot in the leaf litter.

Sulphur Knight Tricholoma sulphureum (Fr. Tricholome soufré) is a frequently encountered mushroom under the deciduous trees in the Forêt de Preuilly. This is definitely not an edible mushroom. It's rotten egg stinky and will give you gastro-intestinal pains.

False Death Cap Amanita citrina (Fr. Amanite citrine), not terribly toxic but can be confused with some deadly species. The American Destroying Angel A. amerivirosa is apparently now abundant in the forests of Poitou, to our south-west, and the two species look remarkably similar to me. I imagine eventually the introduced species will turn up in the Touraine.