26th April 2019, Beckenham Place Park

Spring is here and an old man’s thoughts turn to mushrooms. There are two species that commonly appear in spring; Morels and St George’s Mushrooms. I figured there was a fair chance of finding either in Beckenham Place Park. I’ve never found a Morel (sad face). I have found St Georges but that was before I started taking mushroom photos.

I wandered around for a couple of hours and nothing! The weather has been dry for several weeks and the ground was parched. So I started heading for the bus stop and then in a very unpromising place on a recently cleared path, I spotted a cluster of smallish white mushrooms. Obviously some St George’s Mushrooms appearing just about when they’re supposed to. Not the biggest specimens but  I’m not complaining!


1. St George's Mushroom (Calocybe gambosa).
Growing on recently cleared path near wood edge. Cluster of three. Cap up to 5cm, stem 4cm. Smell mealy. Small specimens. Sporeprint White. Spores 4-5.5µ x 3-4µ.