The Cairngorms Up-Close: Gallery
[CAIRNGORMS UP-CLOSE] [DEEPGREEN.EARTH]
Group: PINE-ASSOCIATED FUNGI
Earpick fungus (Auriscalpium vulgare)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 4 July 2025
About: Earpick fungus typically grows on buried or partially buried cones of conifers, in particular those of Scots pine. The fungus can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Conifercone cap (Baeospora myosura)
Where and when encountered: Nethy Bridge on 13 November 2025
About: Conifercone cap grows on the cones of conifers, including pines and spruces, and may be encountered in various corners of Great Britain.
Editor's note: I am pretty confident of the species identification of the fungus photographed (on a Norway spruce cone).
Yellow stagshorn (Calocera viscosa)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 28 October 2021
About: The bright branching fruits of yellow stagshorn draw sustenance from the rotting wood of coniferous trees, including Scots pine. The species can be found across the length and breadth of Great Britain.
Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 10 November 2025
About: Chanterelles are woodland fungi associated with various trees including birches, oaks, beech, hazel, and Scots pine, especially on acidic soils. The species may be encountered from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Trumpet chanterelle (Cantharellus tubaeformis)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 17 November 2025
About: Trumpet chanterelles are a woodland fungus associated with conifers such as pines and spruces, as well as broadleaved trees including beech and oaks. They may be encountered in various corners of Great Britain.
Scots pine blister rust (Cronartium flaccidum)
Where and when encountered: Anagach Woods on 17 June 2021
About: Records of Scots pine blister rust in the NBN Atlas are mostly restricted to Strathspey and Easter Ross in the Scottish Highlands.
Conifer mazegill (Gloeophyllum sepiarium)
Where and when encountered: Grantown-on-Spey on 23 September 2025
About: Conifer mazegill grows on the dead wood of conifers, especially spruces. This fungus may be encountered from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
False morel (Gyromitra esculenta)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 7 April 2023
About: False morels occur in sandy soil, typically beneath pine trees and some other conifers. They are highly poisonous to humans, especially if eaten uncooked.
Orange tooth (Hydnellum aurantiacum)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 12 September 2025
About: Orange tooth fungus is a pine-associated species almost entirely restricted in Great Britain to woodland in the Cairngorms National Park.
Blue tooth (Hydnellum caeruleum)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 1 August 2025
About: The blue tooth fungus grows in association with conifers. In Great Britain, the species is restricted to native pinewoods in northern Scotland.
Devil's tooth/Mealy tooth (Hydnellum peckii/ferrugineum)
Where and when encountered: Glenmore Forest Park on 28 July 2023
About: Devil's tooth and mealy tooth fungi, in Great Britain, are almost entirely restricted to the Scottish Highlands. The fungi form mycorrhizal relationships with a variety of coniferous trees, including Scots pine.
Editor's note: Splitting the pair of possible species in the field would have required tasting some of the fungus's flesh, and the organism looked far too beautiful to spoil in this way.
False chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca)
Where and when encountered: Moor of Feshie on 6 October 2025
About: False chanterelles are generally associated with the litter of conifers such as Scots pine and spruces. They may be encountered from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Bay bolete (Imleria badia)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 16 November 2025
About: Bay bolete grows in association with conifers, especially pines and spruces, as well as various broadleaved trees including beech and oaks. The species can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Saffron milkcap (Lactarius deliciosus)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 25 August 2025
About: Saffron milkcaps are usually found growing in association with pine trees, and they may be encountered from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Dyer's mazegill (Phaeolus schweinitzii)
Where and when encountered: Drumguish on 4 September 2025
About: Dyer's mazegill can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain. The fungus grows around the roots of pines, spruces, and some other conifers such as larches.
Editor's note: The largest of the fruiting bodies in the photograph had a maximum diameter of close to 40 centimetres.
Angel's wings (Pleurocybella porrigens)
Where and when encountered: Uath Lochans on 4 September 2023
About: Angel's wings can be found growing in overlapping clusters on rotting woody debris in coniferous woodland, including Caledonian pine forest. In Great Britain, this fungus is mostly restricted to the Scottish Highlands.
Pine bracket (Porodaedalea pini)
Where and when encountered: Sluggan (Carrbridge) on 15 June 2025
About: Pine bracket is a conifer-dependent species of fungus largely restricted, in Great Britain, to the Scottish Highlands.
Jelly tooth (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 3 November 2025
About: Jelly tooth may be encountered in various corners of Great Britain, probably more commonly in the Scottish Highlands than elsewhere. This fungus grows in association with dead wood from spruces, in particular, but also pines.
Scaly tooth (Sarcodon squamosus)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 12 September 2025
About: Scaly tooth fungus grows in association with pine trees. Most records of the fungus come from the Scottish Highlands.
Wood cauliflower (Sparassis crispa)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 16 November 2025
About: Wood cauliflower may be encountered in various corners of Great Britain, fruiting on the ground beside conifer trees, especially Scots pine.
Slippery jack (Suillus luteus)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 4 August 2023
About: Slippery jack is named for the sliminess of the cap in damp conditions. The fungus grows in coniferous woodland, including Caledonian pine forest, and is present across much of Great Britain.
Yellow knight (Tricholoma equestre)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 15 November 2025
About: Yellow knight is a fungus of acidic sandy soil, growing in association with pines in particular but also birches and oaks. The species is much more commonly found in the Scottish Highlands than elsewhere in Great Britain.
Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans)
Where and when encountered: Abernethy Forest on 16 November 2025
About: Plums and custard grows on the dead wood of conifers, especially pines and spruces, and can be found from the far north to the far south of Great Britain.
Selected galleries
[ALL-TIME HIGHLIGHTS] [ARCTIC ALPINE PLANTS] [BUTTERFLIES] [COLOURFUL MOTHS] [DRAGONFLIES] [FORBS] [GALLS] [GRASSLAND ORCHIDS] [HOVERFLIES] [INSECTS OF EXPOSED RIVER SEDIMENT] [LONGHORN BEETLES] [PINE-ASSOCIATED FUNGI] [PLANT BUGS] [SHIELDBUGS] [UNCOMMON PINEWOOD HERBS] [WOODY PLANTS]