The rare Hazel Gloves fungus
Hazel Gloves - Hypocreopsis rhododendri So here I am, photographing a group of Early Purple Orchids which I monitor each year, and as I am about to walk away I look across to see what I at first assumed to be Curtain Crust fungus growing on a branch of an old Hazel. Something told me to go a little closer and I'm glad I follow my instincts sometimes, because when I looked closer I could immediately see this was something different. I was certain there and then what this was and my heart was racing. This was a lifer for me and I was tempted to put a tweet message out there and then saying what I had found, but I just wanted to be that 100% sure. I emailed Pat O' Reilly, author of Fascinated by Fungi, and he confirmed what I had found - I knew it. To say I was very excited would be underestimating how I felt. So what are Hazel Gloves? They are a rare fungus, and in Britain it occurs only on old Hazel trees, often in ancient coppice woodland. The finger-lik