Moors Today

[LoneWalker]

Went out and braved Dartmoor today.

I came across this on some gorse. At first I thought it was the yellow flowers blown and stuck on the branch, but on closer inspection, I'm not so sure. It's almost illuminous. Anyone got any ideas?
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/09/ymy5u3ut.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/09/utu5abus.jpg

Also, because of the rain, there are lots of "ponds" on the moor, and these are absolutely teeming with frog spawn. Seemed strange as having spent years on the moor, I have never seen any frogs. Some of it is white, so not going to make it. This seems early compared with last year.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/09/8ydyjedu.jpg

[Adam Savage]

Looks like good old Witches Butter to me :)

[Stevie B]

Not sure but it's very pretty!

[LoneWalker]

Thanks Adam. It would appear that it is indeed Witches Butter. A quick check on Wiki would suggest that it is bland but edible. Have you ever tried it? If not for taste, it would certainly add some colour to a foraged salad!

[saxonaxe]

Good for you getting out today. Rain/hail has been horizontal here. Bottled out..:ashamed:
Pass on the fungi, lovely colour though. Perhaps froggy is confused by the turmoil in the weather? :)

[Adam Savage]

Thanks Adam. It would appear that it is indeed Witches Butter. A quick check on Wiki would suggest that it is bland but edible. Have you ever tried it? If not for taste, it would certainly add some colour to a foraged salad!

Never tried eating it myself, as the slimey looks of it don't look incredibly appetising lol. If you've ever eaten Jew's Ear fungi, it would probably feel like that in the mouth.

Also, I'm far from an expert, so it's worth getting one to confirm it is edible first. T^

[LoneWalker]

I wouldn't eat it without being 100% sure and when I'm out again I will have a better look at it.

The weathers picked up a bit now and wind is howling and the rain is very heavy when it comes. It hasn't been as bad as forecast yet though and certainly not as bad as the storm that took Dawlish out earlier in the week. Tucked up now with a curry and pint of Old Crafty Hen. Nice.

[Mouse040]

Looks more like Dacrymyces palmatus (orange jelly ) to me which is not witches butter but edible anyway no taste really but yes good in a salad as decor

Sorry Adam lol

[Adam Savage]

Looks more like Dacrymyces palmatus (orange jelly ) to me which is not witches butter but edible anyway no taste really but yes good in a salad as decor

Sorry Adam lol

See, I knew you'd be along to correct me lol

[Mouse040]

Sorry Adam I know how long you've waited lol

[Adam Savage]

Sorry Adam I know how long you've waited lol

Am I correct in saying the "butters" are of the same genus?

[Tigger004]

Nice trip out by the looks of the photos

[LoneWalker]

This is why I joined this forum to learn, as prior to this post I had not heard of either fungus. Thanks for educating me.

[Mouse040]

Adam all jelly fungi are a paraphyletic group of several heterobasidiomycete fungal orders from different classes of the subphylum Agaricomycotina: Tremellales, Dacrymycetales, Auriculariales and Sebacinales but these are sub family's of one main core family so in answer to you question it depends on how complicated you want to get . In all fairness most people would class both yellow jelly and whit he's butter as the same in a basic overview I've just seized the chance to show off in my otherwise boring life ,-p

[Tony1948]

Went out and braved Dartmoor today.

I came across this on some gorse. At first I thought it was the yellow flowers blown and stuck on the branch, but on closer inspection, I'm not so sure. It's almost illuminous. Anyone got any ideas?
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/09/ymy5u3ut.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/09/utu5abus.jpg

Also, because of the rain, there are lots of "ponds" on the moor, and these are absolutely teeming with frog spawn. Seemed strange as having spent years on the moor, I have never seen any frogs. Some of it is white, so not going to make it. This seems early compared with last year.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/09/8ydyjedu.jpgI think the frog spawn is toad spawn.

[LoneWalker]

You may well be right Tony. I thought it was frog as it seems to be in clumps in quite shallow water. From what I have read, toads tend to lay in strings and deeper water. Seems strange to see half of it with white spots which has got too cold?