This little tiny gem was found in Eskrigg Nature Reserve in Lockerbie, Dumfries & Galloway, in the South West of Scotland. Eskrigg Nature Reserve, run by Lockerbie Wildlife Trust, is a special little place and an incredible reserve with a mixture of habitats. It is an important sanctuary for key species of flora and fauna. You will find red squirrels scarpering and climbing amongst the mixed and coniferous woodland areas, birds such as kingfishers, owls and little grebes and even a rare fern – the Adder’s Tongue fern hidden beneath the trees. It is incredibly and impressively managed by Jim Rae, who, over the years has been a tour de force in founding and building the reserve; taking on volunteers, educating groups from pre-schoolers to adults, and doing practical work on the reserve too. I was lucky enough to spend a year living in Lockerbie after I returned from voluntary conservation work in Sicily and Malta. Whilst I was briefly out of work for a couple of months, I was delighted to do a little volunteering here, it was a beautiful little haven for me to get my thoughts together and learn alot about conservation in the UK, as well. I quickly came to realise, within the rich diverse woodlands, underfoot lay a mycological treasure trove.
This particular little specimen, was hidden in a pile of old and decaying logs, from memory I believe it was spruce and pine, certainly pine needles are visible there in the photo above. Felt saddles are usually found in soil and leaf litter in deciduous woodland and occasionally with conifers, I do recall this being the coniferous part of the reserve.
The fruiting body is only around 5 cm tall and 3 cm wide, its slender, delicate, monochromatic stem supporting the cup-shaped cap. When younger, the cap would have been flatter, it upturns into the cup shape as it matures. The under-side is covered in fine flocci – distinct, minute, downy hairs, whilst the top-side is smooth.
Interestingly, it is documented in 2 of my books as autumn-fruiting, yet I found this individual in late July. Looking at records from the Cate2 database, Helvella macropus has been found around Britain anywhere from July to November, there’s even one that appeared one June in Norfolk, though most records are from September to November.
There are only 306 records of Helvella macropus on Cate2, most of these are concentrated in England and Wales, and then, more densely they are recorded in the south-east of England. Most of these are recorded as growing directly from the soil, rotted wood or leaf litter. Helvella macropus, like many fungus is dynamic in that it can thrive living in a mycorrizhal relationship with woodland trees or saprobically, digesting dead wood or leaves.
According to First Nature, Helvella Macropus occurs in Britain, Ireland, throughout mainland Europe and has even been found in North America.
Basic Profile
Scientific name: Helvella macropus previously Peziza macropus – recategorised in 1870
Common names: Felt saddle
Size of fruiting body: 5cm tall, 3cm wide
Spores: spindle shaped, 18-24 x 10-12.5μm
Gills: None
Edibility: No distinct taste, considered inedible and possibly poisonous according to First Nature.
Lookalikes: Helvella corium in constrast has a shiny black fruit layer and fruits in early summer, far more rare
On the Red Data List (extinct/critically endangered/endangered/vulnerable/near threatened): No
References:
Cate2 Database, managed and maintained by The Fungus Conservation Trust
Red Data List, British Mycological Society
Collins Complete Guide to British Mushrooms & Toadstools, Paul Sterry & Barry Hughes, 2009
Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Europe, Edmund Garnweidner, 1994
Mushrooms, Patrick Harding, 2013
Mushroomination 