June 2002

1. New Zealand Stamps

Fungi illustrated: Hygrocybe rubrocarnosa, Entoloma hochstetteri (click here), Aseroe rubra, Hericium coralloides, Thaxterogaster porphyreus  (click here), Ramaria aureorhiza. 

       In 1989 I  took a sabbatical in New Zealand to study parasites of soil and litter microfauna and centred my studies at the (then) DSIR in Aukland.  I found a lot of exciting new microfungi.  In my travels around the country collecting soil samples for analysis, I also took a number of pictures of NZ mushrooms and some of the more spectacular of these are on this website (click here).  A number of these were also published in the 'New Zealand Geographic' magazine and two of them eventually ended up on the album cover of a rock band called CHUG!  

  Recently I received two delightful surprises in the mail.  Both were sets of the stamps illustrated above.  One a franked first day cover and the other a set of new stamps.   Both were from friends (in CANADA by the way) who were aware of my earlier photographs in NZ and knew I would be very interested.   I am more than lucky to have such thoughtful friends.   So thankyou Jim and Duncan for your kindness.   As my wife said   "I didn't know you had two friends!'

2.  Cienkowskia reticulata   -  unusual slime mould with a red-dotted plasmodiocarp.

3.   PLUS 10 more selections. Click on individual species to access. Cantharellus cibarius,  Cyathus olla,  Cantharellus cinnabarinus,  Climacodon septentrionale,   Coltricia perennis,   Dictydium cancellatum,   Geoglossum difforme,  Gyrodon merulioides,  Hebeloma crustuliniforme, Mycena haematopus