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This massive work cites a considerable amount of Hungarian material, including several of our own collections. One of the new species (E. umbrinotinctum) was described from Hungary, and the type specimen also originates from a Hungarian collection. We may even appear among the authors of the species description. The paper is recommended reading for anyone interested in mycology; in this post we present only our own related records.

Anyone who has seriously tried identifying fungi probably knows similar stories – when conventional methods go silent. In such cases, sometimes all you can rely on is time and luck. With this fungus, even genetics didn’t give a clean answer. And if we finally made progress, it wasn’t just macro- and micromorphology or sequencing that helped. Fate had to do a bit of work too.

After the dry periods of 2025, it seems we’ve had a much wetter late winter, which could be a good basis for the spring season. But there is no need to wait until then — already in early February, fungi are appearing in considerable numbers. A more balanced, wetter year would definitely suit us. On our trips last weekend, we also found several species new to Fungexpo.

Without genetic confirmation of our species identifications, Fungexpo would be just a shadow of itself. The latest batch of ITS results reached us even before Christmas—couldn’t ask for a better gift! Since information only matters if it gets to those who can use it, here’s a summary of what came in.

It all started last weekend, when we found a spruce cone with purplish tones on its scales in the Vendvidék region. I liked it so much that I decided to take a closer look, and although I suspected it was a fungus, I would have most likely guessed some hopeless anamorph. Under the microscope, however, it quickly became clear that it was a species of Tulasnella.

With the climate getting warmer and drier, the time window when you can actually experience real fungal abundance is getting narrower and narrower. Last year, in the first days of November, we happened to hit exactly such a window in the southwestern part of the Zalai Hills. That weekend turned out to be so exceptionally rich, including a fair share of rare finds, that we immediately decided to turn it into a personal tradition.

We spent the first days of September in the Austrian Alps. Even without the fungi, we’re drawn to mountain landscapes—but the real bonus is that, with a bit of luck, on trips like these you can spot species you either don’t see in Hungary at all, or so rarely there that it’s almost like you don’t.

As a MacOS user, I only know from hearsay that there are several good free options available for these functions on Windows systems, but the situation is much more difficult on Mac. We have been regularly using a microscope since 2018, but since then I have only found less effective or outright poor workarounds for performing measurements.

Around springtime, it is common to encounter bright orange, slimy „flux” on the stumps of felled trees, on fallen trees, and often on the trunks of wounded living trees. This phenomenon is commonly referred to in Hungarian as „carrot-yellow tree slime,” and there are many misconceptions or half-truths surrounding it, both locally within the community of mushroom enthusiasts, and in international forums and groups.

After a relatively long break, we once again surveyed the vast burned forest area near Csönge. In December, the scene was clearly dominated by Anthracobia species, coinciding with the onset of a fruiting wave of Plicaria. By the time we returned in April, the situation had completely changed.

A few years ago, around 2017, we started getting involved with fungus. Mostly without any prior background. When this comes up, people sometimes ask why. Where did the interest come from? I try to answer with something reasonable, but to be honest, I don’t really know the answer.

In September 2024, a massive wildfire raged in our broader vicinity—at least within our county, near Csönge/Kenyeri. We don’t know the exact extent, but according to some reports, approximately 400 hectares were affected by the fire. Entire habitats were destroyed, and a significant portion of the local wildlife perished.

„Earthly paradise” – that’s something like what I wrote to our fellow fungus enthusiasts when we first visited Southern Zala County this August, exploring the Budafapuszta Arboretum and nearby Bázakerettye. Back then, we agreed to return for an autumn adventure together. If only all plans came to life so easily! We went!

It’s been an emotional rollercoaster regarding the domestic occurrence of a rare waxcap and the developments around the protection of its habitat across Europe. My goal isn’t to stir emotions, but there may be valuable lessons to be learned from this story…

In 2020, we read Dr. Gábor Jancsó’s call for research, in which he, in collaboration with the PTE Faculty of Pharmacy (GYTK), aimed to use analytical methods to put an end to the speculations about whether any of the toxins found in the yew tree (Taxus baccata) could be detected in Laetiporus sulphureus (Chicken of the Wood) growing on the tree.

Maybe it’s the abundant winter precipitation, maybe the early arrival of spring… In any case, we were fortunate enough to reunite with two species we have been searching for a long time. Until now, unsuccessfully. The main stars were Hygrophorus marzuolus and a species of Disciotis.