The weekend is time for me to leave the city and reconnect with nature. My phone is turned off for much of the weekend and I spend it with family and close friends. I’m looking for meaningful connections, with people and with myself. I find one of the best places to do this is through being outdoors in nature. Its the opposite to my busy life running a business in the city.

This weekend I found myself in a woodland on the shores of Bassenthwaite lake.

I found in the buttress of a common Oak (Quercus robur), Xerocomus communis growing.

Xerocomus is a toadstool fungus, found growing around the buttress of broad-leafed species of tree in Europe. It is a mycorrhizal (symbiotic) fungi. So it is helping the Oak tree’s intake of nutrients including water, and in return the Oak tree is giving it carbohydrates and sugars.

The Xerocomus cap is flattish, slightly upturned at the edges and can grow to about 10cm in diameter. The underside of the cap is a surface of yellow pores that turn blue when touched. The stem is yellow with red and pink streaks.

Significance

It can be found growing from Summer to late Autumn in woodlands and in our urban gardens. A symbiotic fungi beneficial for our trees.

If you have a fungus growing around your trees that you would like us to identify, send us a photo or give us a call. And remember to take some time to connect with yourself and close ones without distractions.