Monthly Archives: October 2016

25th October 2016, Hollesley Common, Woodbridge

We were on holiday in Suffolk, and I managed to scramble a couple of hours for mushroom hunting. I imagine undulating farmland and coastal wetlands but instead I end up in mixed woods with pine predominating. Hollesley Common is obviously a fairly recent (and rather diorganised) pine plantation. or at least parts of it are. Oliver Rackham says in Woodlands that tree plantations are disruptive, destructive and an economic hostage to fortune. (My paraphrasing.) Fungally I generally prefer ancient woodland and other ancient habitats, but there’s many species that grow in such immature or transitory environments.

I didn’t bring my microscope to examine spores and somehow I also forgot to gather specimens for spore prints, so that made identification a bit haphazard. But still, I had a few nice finds, and several new species to record. False Chantarelle is something I often used to see when I lived in Hampshire. They were ubiquitous under all the pine trees here, but it’s my first entry in this database. Mycena clavicularis was growing on the pine tree debris and provided some striking pictures when it had impregnated a pine cone. I see Ochre Brittlegill, Sulphur Tuft and Brown Rollrim around all the time but it’s good to include them occasionally. Spotted Toughshank and Milking Bonnet are both firsts for me although they’re both quite common. I recognised Plums and Custard  the moment I saw it, and it is a rather beautiful thing. Roger Phillips seems a bit vague on the possibility of whether it might be edible!

Later the same day we went over to Southwold and the Common was teeming with Parasols. Well, around a dozen anyway. Not entirely sure what type of Parasol as they’re all very similar, but I collected three big ones to have for breakfast the next day.


1. False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca).
Growing under pine. Many thousands scattered throughout the wood. Cap 2-5cm, 3-4cm high. Smell mild and sweetish. Quite variable in appearance, some with rolled rims.

2. Mycena clavicularis.
Growing on pine cones and needles. Many in clusters and scattered around. Cap 0.1-2cm. Slight pleasant mushroom smell. Some with white rim around cap. Hairy feet. Tough Stem. ID is almost sure.

3. Lilac Bonnet (Mycena pura).
Growing under oak. Several scattered around. Cap 1-4.5cm, up to 6cm high. Smell indistinct, perhaps musty. Some with domed head but one completely flat. Habitat for Lilac Bonnet should be beech litter: there were beech trees around but I didn't notice the details. So perhaps id is wrong but hard to see what other Bonnet it could be. ID is best guess.

4. Ochre Brittlegill (Russula ochroleuca).
Growing in earth near birch. One. Cap 6cm, 6cm high. No smell.

5. Goblet (Pseudoclitocybe cyathiformis).
Growing in moss near birch. Small group and scattered close by. Cap 2-5cm, 6cm high. Little smell, but perhaps a bit sweetish. ID is best guess.

6. Beech Milkcap (Lactarius blennius).
Growing amongst leaf and needle litter near beech, pine and birch. Handful dotted around. Cap 2.5-7.5cm, 4-5cm high. No distinct smell. Milk very acrid and bitter. Could easily be another type of Russula. ID is very likely.

7. Spotted Toughshank (Collybia maculata).
Growing under beech with birch nearby. Group of about 20, some clustered. Cap 2-7cm, up to 6cm high. Slight mushroom smell. ID is almost sure.

8. Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare).
Growing on rotting wood. Many large clusters. Cap up to 6cm, stem up to 12cm. No smell. So common that I usually don't record it.

9. Plums and Custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans).
Growing in needles under pine. Small group. Cap 3-8.5cm. No smell. Beautiful and immediately recognisable. The name is so appropriate.

10. Brown Rollrim (Paxillus involutus).
Growing in earth amongst leaf litter under pine and birch. Scattered singly throughout the wood. Cap 8cm, 8cm high. No smell.

11. Milking bonnet (Mycena galopus).
Growing amongst grass and needles under pine. Many scattered in large group. Cap 0.5-2.5cm, up to 8cm high. Smell slightly mousey? ID is very likely.

12. Parasol (Macrolepiota procera).
Growing in grass. Several scattered around the Common, singly and in small groups. Growing on Southwold Common. Not sure exactly which type of parasol. Eaten. ID is very likely.