Monthly Archives: November 2014

29th November 2014, My Garden in Catford

Just a small brownish mushroom growing in my garden, but it is a species that I’ve not found before: Aromatic Pinkgill (Entoloma pleopodium)… these things just pop up, one or two of them, and then are gone. This looked like a fairly boring species of Bonnet until I saw the spores under a microscope – almost star-shaped, but certainly angular and spikey. This seems to be a characteristic of the Entoloma genera, and I’ve not found so many of these recently. So I looked for fungi with star shaped spores and although there’s quite a few, that was enough get me to an identification very quickly.


1. Aromatic Pinkgill (Entoloma pleopodium).
Growing on earth mixed with rich garden compost. One. Cap 3cm. Stipe 3cm. Smell mushroomy with some fruitiness. Spores angular and spikey. Doesn't quite have the strong smell that it should, but the identification is fairly sure. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint not enough to tell but some shade of off-white. Spores 7-9.5µ x 5.5-8µ. Spores angular and spikey.

27th November 2014, Ladywell Fields

Lots more mushrooms in Ladywell Fields…

I have been looking for Field Blewits for 30 years and now I’ve found them in the local park! My mushroom adventures started with a find of Field Blewits at Warwick University, and they’re so distinctive that despite my total ignorance (at the time) I was able to identify and consume them. (The lilac stipe and perfumed smell are all you need.) So I’ve always been on lookout for some more, but nothing until now, even though they’re supposed to be common. Great to eat, and so I did.

Also some more Flowery Blewits. Almost identical to the Field Blewits apart from the absence of lilac colouring. I’m not absolutely certain of my identification here – Roger Phillips says they’re uncommon and does a patch of grass on the edge of Ladywell Fields with one or two trees count as ‘open woodland’?

I occasionally see Common Inkcaps but this is the first time I’ve managed to photograph them. And the other interesting find was a Parasol Mushroom. Quite impressive, one of my favourites, and very common, but again not something I was expecting to find in the park. This is another species that stirred my interest many years ago, when I found a colony growing in a pine wood in Hampshire.


1. Flowery Blewit (Lepista irina).
Growing in grass not near any trees. Two together. Cap 10-13cm. Stem 6 x 1.5-2cm. Perfumed smell. ID is guess. Spores 6.5-8µ x 4.5-5.5µ.

2. Unidentified.
Growing in grass beside tree (maybe aspen). Two together. Cap 2-4cm. Stem 4cm. Faint mushroom smell. Small one has white rim on cap. Though this was a Blushing Waxcap but can't be as spore print would have to be white. Sporeprint What I call cinnamon brown, but possibly pink. Spores 5.5-9µ x 3.5-5.5µ.

3. Unidentified.
Growing on earth or woodchip near aspen. Several trooping. Cap 2-4cm. Faint smell. One with a flattened stem. Sporeprint very pale tan, flesh colour but with no red. Spores 5.5-7µ x 3.5-5.5µ.

4. Ivory Bonnet (Mycena flavoalba).
Growing in grass. Several scattered around. Cap 0.7-1.8cm. No smell. Sporeprint whitish - not enough to be sure. Spores 5-7.5µ x 3.5-5µ.

5. Common Inkcap (Coprinus atramentarius).
Growing in grass amonst leaf litter. Many large clusters. Cap up to 6cm across. No smell. Sporeprint very dark grey/brown. Spores 7-9.5µ x 4.5-6.5µ.

6. Unidentified.
Growing in grass amonst leaf litter. One small cluster. Cap up to 5cm across. No smell. When drying became gossamer-like rather than deliquescing. Not sure if this is a Common Inkcap or not. Growing beside some common inkcaps but brown rather than grey, and spore print is definite dark grey with no hint of brown, unlike the Common Inkcap. Sporeprint very dark grey. Spores 6.5-9µ x 5-7µ.

7. Field Blewit (Lepista saeva).
Growing in grass near sycamores. Two widely apart. Cap 7-10cm. Stem 6cm. Smell strongly perfumed. Eaten. Sporeprint Very pale tan, tending to flesh colour. Not really pale pink as the book says it should be. Spores 5-7µ x 4-5µ.

8. Unidentified.
Growing in grass near sycamores. One large beside one tiny. Cap 9cm. Stem 6 x 3.3cm. Smell perfumed. Another blewit-like mushroom, but a bit different to the others. Sporeprint White. Spores 4.5-6.5µ x 3-4.5µ.

9. Parasol (Macrolepiota procera).
Growing amongst leaf litter near to trees. One. Cap 15cm.

10. Macrolepiota rhacodes.
Growing in grass beside path. Group of three. Cap 8-11cm. Stem 10-16cm. Smell pleasant and mushroomy. My spores are too small, but I can't see how this can be any other species. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint white. Spores 7-9.5µ x 5-6.5µ.

20th November 2014, Ladywell Fields

Nice to find some Wood Blewits in the park – they’re very common but I’ve only found them in woods proper before, not parkland. I tucked into these.

I went back to look at a Branching Oyster which was very immature when I saw it on the 5th – 2 weeks ago. But this time I got a spore sample and realised that it must be a Veiled Oyster instead! The pictures in my books don’t fit so well, but I’m fairly sure after doing some further investigation of pictures on the web. The young specimens from earlier are particularly distinctive, although lacking the ring zone. Also the habit of growing from cracks/holes is distinctive of this species. I ate this, believing it to be a Branching Oyster. Collins Fungi Guide/Buczacki doesn’t specifically say if it’s edible but other Oysters are, and it didn’t do me any harm. Very nice it was too – firm and almost crunchy.

Actually I regret not eating The Prince as well – it’s very, very tasty. I’ve been seeing Prince-like mushrooms around in the park for a while and so had my doubts about definite identification, but this one is definitely a Prince.


1. The Prince (Agaricus augustus).
Growing right beside a large sycamore. One. Cap 8.5cm. Smell strongly of almond. Smells like marzipan to me! Spores 7-9.5µ x 4-6µ.

2. Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus).
Growing on old stump. One large mature cluster.

3. Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda).
Growing under fir trees. Some very young, some very old. Cap 3.5-6cm. Smell perfumed mushroomy. Eaten. Sporeprint whitish. Spores 6-9µ x 4-5.5µ.

4. Unidentified.
Growing from cracks in ash tree stump. Very faint smell. White translucent jelly-like blobs.

5. Parasola auricoma.
Growing in grass. Several scattered individuals. Cap 2-3.5cm. No smell. Reason for thinking this is P.auricoma is the smooth elliptical spores. ID is very likely. Spores 9-10.5µ x 7-8.5µ.

6. Veiled Oyster (Pleurotus dryinus).
Growing on deciduous log. One. Fan 19cm across. Mild smell, not distinctive. Nice flavour and firm texture. This is the large mature development of the tiny immature ones that I saw 2 weeks ago. Eaten. ID is almost sure. Spores 12-15µ x 5-6.5µ.

7. Yellow Stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus).
Growing in grass. several in a cluster. Cap 8-12cm. Faintly unpleasant smell. Flesh not showing any sign of turning yellow, I assume because these were very old specimens. Think these are Yellow Stainers because they are on the site of younger ones from a week or two earlier. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint dark brown perhaps a bit purpley. Spores 4.5-6µ x 3-5.5µ.

14th November 2014, Knole Park, Sevenoaks

Knole Park was fungally fabulous two months ago so I decided to go back. Actually I’m exaggerating – it was only pretty good last time, but it’s easy to get to and has a variety of unimproved habitats, which is what the fungi folk generally prefer. I’m turning into a fungus species ticker – 9 new species registered on this foray!

I walked through the gate to the nearest patch of grass and immediately found a large sprouting of Golden Spindles and various Waxcaps. The Spindles were very striking, and not something I’ve ever seen before, so I wasn’t sure at first whether it was a fungus at all or some kind of plant! I also saw some Rose Spindles but didn’t even take a picture – at the time I thought it was a variant colour of the species that I did record. There were many types of Waxcap, and again I’m not so familiar with this genus, so I got a bit overwhelmed and certainly missed a few. With a bit of guesswork I think that I found Honey Waxcap, Golden Waxcap, Meadow Waxcap and Vermillion Waxcap, although some of these are easy to confuse with each other.

Another point of interest was the possible small fungus growing on an old Oyster Mushroom. It was tiny, and I should have kept a specimen to examine under a magnifying glass, as now I’m not sure whether it really was a mushroom. The Shaggy Parasol was a fine photogenic specimen indeed, and the large old decrepit Parasol was the biggest I’ve ever seen – shame I wasn’t there to witness its full glory.


1. Golden Spindles (Clavulinopsis fusiformis).
Growing amongst moss/grass. Several large clusters. Cluster 10cm across. Spike 7cm+ high. Smell mushroomy with a hint of decay.

2. Yellow Club (Clavulinopsis helvola).
Growing amongst moss/grass. A few scattered around. Whitish more than yellow. ID is almost sure.

3. Honey Waxcap (Hygrocybe reidii).
Growing amongst moss/grass. Small troop and scattered. Cap 3-5cm, but one much bigger. Smell faint mushroom pleasant. Stem has distinct (but slight) colour division about halfway along. Id could be wrong as one specimen was too big. But don't think they were Meadow Waxcaps. ID is best guess. Sporeprint white. Spores 5-7µ x 4-5.5µ.

4. Golden Waxcap (Hygrocybe chlorophana).
Growing amongst moss/grass. Only a few. Cap 2-7cm. Very faint smell. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint white. Spores 5.5-8µ x 4-5.5µ.

5. Vermillion Waxcap (Hygrocybe miniata).
Growing amongst moss/grass. Small group. Cap 2-3cm. ID is guess.

6. Orange Bonnet (Mycena acicula).
Growing amongst moss near dung. Lots dotted around. Cap 0.6-1cm. Spores 7.5-9µ x 5.5-7µ.

7. Common Stump Brittlestem (Psathyrella piluliformis).
Growing on deciduous tree log. Lots of clusters. Cap 1.5-6cm. Faint mushroom smell. Sporeprint dark brown. Spores 4.5-5.5µ x 2.5-4.5µ.

8. Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus).
Growing at base of deciduous tree stump. Two clusters. Cap 7-15cm. Smell mushroomy, slightly perfumed and a bit rotten. Apart from the oyster mushrooms there are distinct beads on the old rotten one that could be some other fungus. ID is almost sure. Spores 5-8.5µ x 3.5-4.5µ.

9. Shaggy Parasol (Macrolepiota rhacodes).
Growing in grass. Group of three. Cap 12cm. Height 14cm. No smell. Sporeprint white. Spores 11-13µ x 7.5-9.5µ.

10. Mild Milkcap (Lactarius subdulcis).
Growing near oak and beech. A few scattered around. cap 4-6cm. Slight indistinct smell. Milk mild. ID is very likely. Sporeprint white. Spores 6-8.5µ x 5-7.5µ.

11. Russet Toughshank (Collybia dryophila).
Growing on leaf litter from deciduous trees. Several large clusters. cap 0.5-6cm. Slight mushroomy smell, perhaps a bit sweet. Very distinctive toughshank stem. Sporeprint white. Spores 5.5-8µ x 3.5-4.5µ.

12. Clustered Bonnet (Mycena inclinata).
Growing from cracks in log. Several clusters. cap 1.5-5cm. No smell. Sporeprint white. Spores 7-8.5µ x 5.5-7µ.

13. Meadow Waxcap (Hygrocybe pratensis).
Growing in grass. Several scattered around. Cap 4-7cm. No smell. One had a very distinctive twisted stem. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint white. Spores 5-7µ x 4-5.5µ.

14. Scarlet Waxcap (Hygrocybe coccinea).
Growing in grass. Several scattered around. Cap 2-3cm. No smell. Very red but some washed out to white. ID is very likely. Sporeprint white. Spores 6-8µ x 4.5-6µ.

15. Unidentified.
Growing on dead beech log. Lots dotted around. Beads about 1mm. Initially thought this was young Candlesnuff but that's unlikely. Could be something similar to Oak Pin but these always have a small stalk and I didn't see any stalks.

16. Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon).
Growing on dead beech. A few scattered. Didn't get a very good photo as they weren't many.

17. The Deceiver (Laccaria laccata).
Growing in leaf litter. Several scattered around. cap 1.5-3.5cm. No smell. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint white. Spores 5.5-7.5µ x 5-6.5µ.

18. Butter Cap (Collybia butyracea).
Growing in leaf litter. Cap 4cm of immature, 8cm of mature. No smell. Stem tapers strongly upwards. Didn't think this was buttercap initially as it doesn't have the classic buttercap look that I'm familiar with, but on refection I think it must be. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint white. Spores 6.5-8µ x 4-4.5µ.

19. Dripping Bonnet (Mycena rorida).
Growing in leaf litter. One. Cap 2mm. ID is fairly likely.

20. Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum).
Growing in moss. Lots all around the wood. I took this picture for the nice framing of the large Earthball in a bed of Common Haircap Moss.

21. Parasol (Macrolepiota procera).
Growing in grass. Several scattered around. Cap 24cm. Huge old rotten specimen.

22. Red Cracking Bolete (Boletus chrysenteron).
Growing under hornbeam. Cap 8cm. No smell. Sporeprint dark brown but exact shade hard to tell with spots. Spores 9.5-12.5µ x 4.5-6µ.

23. Butter Cap (Collybia butyracea).
Growing in leaf litter. Cap 5-6cm. Faintly perfumed or off smell. Sporeprint white with hint of another colour, not sure what. Spores 5-7.5µ x 3.5-5µ.

24. Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda).
Growing under oak. Several. Cap 7-11cm. Faint perfumed smell. Sporeprint very pale lilac. Spores 5-7µ x 3.5-5µ.

8th November 2014, Ladywell Fields

Next to the path that runs beside Ladywell Stadium there was an Ash tree growing, but then last year it was cut down and stump grinded. Now the site has a mass of wood fragments buried in the earth and scattered over it. The fungi love it! I found 7 different species all within 2 metres of each other. One of them was too immature to identify but the others I’ve recorded, although some are difficult to identify. Sulphur Tuft seems to me the commonest mushroom in Britain and I must have seen it in the park before but didn’t record it until now. Orange Peel Fungus is a nice find and quite striking. Not sure about the possible Galerina nana – it looks about right but the spore size is wrong. Is there something wrong with my spore measurement techniques (I don’t think so), or have I mixed up some specimens (more likely), or is it a species not listed in my book (fairly unlikely). The book in question is Collins Fungi Guide (Buczacki) – “the most complete field guide to the mushroom and toadstools of Britain and Ireland”.


1. Spectacular Rustgill (Gymnopilus junonius).
Growing on ash tree wood debris and maybe buried stump. Large clusters. Cap 4-9cm. Smell mushroomy. Some of the pictures were taken a few days earlier when they were immature. ID is best guess. Sporeprint brown. Spores 7.5-9µ x 4.5-6µ.

2. Sticky Scalycap (Pholiota gummosa).
Growing on ash tree wood debris and maybe buried stump. Several clusters. Cap 2-4cm. Faint mushroom smell. Some greyer and others white. Some of the pictures were taken a few days earlier when they were immature. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint light brown. Spores 5-7.5µ x 3-5µ.

3. Orange Peel Fungus (Aleuria aurantia).
Growing on earth amongst wood debris. Clustered and dotted around. Cups 0.5-4cm across. No smell. If I'd realized it was edible. I might have tried some!

4. Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare).
Growing on ash tree wood debris and maybe buried stump. Clusters. Cap 2-4cm. No smell. Sporeprint dark brownish grey. Spores 5-7.5µ x 3-5.5µ.

5. Galerina nana.
Growing on earth amongst ash tree wood debris. A few scattered around. Cap 1-2.5cm. No smell. Wet cap as photographed after a shower. ID is guess. Sporeprint brown. Spores 6.5-8.5µ x 4-6µ.

6. Unidentified.
Growing on ash tree wood debris. A few scattered around. Cap 1-4cm. No smell. Wet cap as photographed after a shower. Sporeprint very dark or black. Spores 9.5-10.5µ x 5.5-7.5µ.

5th November 2014, Ladywell Fields

It seems that the mushroom season is going prolong well into November this year, with the mild weather. I didn’t expect to find very much, and I only had an hour before the light failed, but there were still a few finds. The Shaggy Scalycap is common in Ladywell (and everywhere!) but these specimens were larger than I’ve usually seen. The immature Veiled Oyster is very nice, except I thought it was a Branching Oyster until I sorted out my spore samples, which I had mixed up initially. Clouded Funnel is very common, but I haven’t found it in the park before.


1. Shaggy Scalycap (Pholiota squarrosa).
Cluster on the base of an ask tree. Cap 3.5-8cm. smell mushroomy. Sporeprint dark brown. Spores 5-6.5µ x 3-5µ.

2. Rootlet Brittlestem (Psathyrella microrhiza).
Growing in tall grass. One. Cap 3cm. 12cm high. Very strong mushroom smell. This species is supposed to have a mild smell, so not sure what's going on there. All the other characteristics are correct. ID is almost sure. Spores 10.5-12.5µ x 5.5-7.5µ.

3. Unidentified.
Growing beside small oak tree. Two. Cap 9-12cm. Can't work this one out. Could be a cavalier or knight but not sure. Sporeprint white.

4. Veiled Oyster (Pleurotus dryinus).
Growing from cracks in large log. Two small clusters. Cap 3.5-4.5cm but immature. Faint mushroom smell. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint white but not enough to be sure of shade. Spores 11-13µ x 5-5.5µ.

5. Clouded Funnel (Clitocybe nebularis).
Growing through leaf litter near ash and oak. Several trooping. Cap 8-15cm. Faint slightly perfumed smell. Large, old and quite maggoty. Sporeprint white. Spores 5-7µ x 3-4.5µ.