Monthly Archives: October 2019

28th October 2019, Beckenham Place Park

They’ve been transforming Beckenham Place Park with a new lake and café but I made sure to avoid all that! I skirted around on the grass at the edges of the wooded areas, which is often a good habitat to find interesting mushrooms. The great autumn for mushrooms is continuing…

I’ve found this park to be good for Russulas (Brittlegills) in the past and it was no different this time. The only problem is that they can be hard to differentiate and identify. It’s all very well taking pictures and notes and then sitting at home with a book afterwards, but then you find contradictions or some critical feature that you need for identification to be unrecorded. So unfortunately there were several unidentified on this occasion. The Russulas that I did identify were the Oakbug Milkcap which I know well, and the Sepia Brittlegill which I’ve not found before. Love that it smells strongly of cheese!

It was good to find The Prince again, it’s very tasty although I didn’t partake this time. Then a fabulous ring of small Wood Blewits growing in the grass and not in a wood? Seems dubious but that’s what I think I encountered. The Webcap that I found was interesting but these are hard to identify as there are so many similar species – a fascinating and often poisonous family. I love the delicate and gaudy Parrot Waxcap, which I have found before. The Brown Birch Bolete is another that I haven’t recorded before although I must have seen it, as it’s quite common and large and distinctive.


1. Unidentified.
Growing in grass around oak tree. Several scattered around. Cap 7cm. Cloying rich slightly unpleasant smell. Taste mild, no heat. Cap hardly peeling, less than 1/4. Sporeprint White. Spores 7-8µ x 6-7µ.

2. Unidentified.
Growing in grass around oak tree. Several scattered around. Cap 6-9cm. Cut flesh smells of cheese, older one smells fishy. Taste becoming slowly hot. Sporeprint White. Spores 6.5-7.5µ x 5-6.5µ.

3. Oakbug Milkcap (Lactarius quietus).
In grass near oak tree. One. Cap 5cm, stem 4cm. Buggy smell. Milk tastes mild, no heat. Sporeprint White. Spores 7-8.5µ x 5.5-7.5µ.

4. Sepia Brittlegill (Russula sororia).
Growing in grass under oak tree. Two or three scattered. Cap 5-6cm, stem up to 6cm. Strong cheesy smell. Taste slowly becomes hottish. Cap peels nearly to centre. There are a couple of Russulas that smell of cheese and this id seems most likely. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint White. Spores 7.5-9µ x 6.5-8µ.

5. Unidentified.
Growing in grassy field. Cluster of several and also scattered singly around. Cap 2.5-4.5cm. Sweet smell. Sporeprint White. Spores 7.5-9µ x 7-8.5µ.

6. The Prince (Agaricus augustus).
Growing under oak in park. Two. Cap 13-18cm, stem 10-17cm. Pleasant strong mushroom smell. Lovely mushroom/aniseed taste. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint Chocolate brown. Spores 6.5-8.5µ x 4-5µ.

7. Wood Blewit (Lepista nuda).
Growing in grass in park short distance from small deciduous tree. Ring made up of clusters and singles. Cap 2-7cm, stem up to 5cm. Sweet pleasant smell, slightly perfumed. Grass colour darker inside the ring. These look and smell exactly like Wood Blewit, the spores look exactly like Wood Blewit spores, and Wood Blewit is known to grown in rings. So, despite them growing in grass rather than woodland, I think they must be Wood Blewits. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint Very pale pink. Spores 5.5-7.5µ x 3-4.5µ.

8. Unidentified.
Growing under sweet chestnut in debris and grass. A few small clusters. Cap 1.5-5cm, stem 3cm. Sweet somewhat sickly smell. Covered in white veil. I think these may be a type of Webcap (Cortinarius) due to the veil and because several have a sweet or fruity smell. However there are very many similar species so hard to identify. Sporeprint Reddish or pink. Spores 5-6.5µ x 3.5-5µ.

9. Ivory Bonnet (Mycena flavoalba).
Growing in grass in park. Many scattered in groups and singly. Cap 1-1.5cm, stem up to 4cm. Indistinct smell. Sporeprint White. Spores 4.5-6.5µ x 4-5µ.

10. Lilac Pinkgill (Entoloma porphyrophaeum).
Growing in grass in park. Several scattered around. Cap 4-6cm, stem up to 6cm. No smell. There are many similar looking Entoloma species but the particular combination of grass habitat, relatively small spores and lack of unpleasant smell make this tricky to identify. ID is guess. Sporeprint Pink. Spores 6-8µ x 5.5-7.5µ.

11. Parrot Waxcap (Hygrocybe psittacina).
Growing in grass in park. One. Cap 3cm, stem 3.5cm. No smell. Sporeprint White. Spores 7-9.5µ x 4.5-6.5µ.

12. Brown Birch Bolete (Leccinum scabrum).
Growing through grass near birch tree. Group of three. Cap 9-14cm. Mild smell. Stems of this species usually have tiny black spots but it seems that these can sometimes be absent. Sporeprint Brown. Spores 12.5-18µ x 5-6.5µ.

17th October 2019, Petts Wood and Hawkwood

There are so many mushrooms roaming the wilds this October! I think the weather has been just right, and the recent rain after a long dry spell has brought them all out. If I’d had more time I could have found a hundred different species today.

Of the species that I recorded, three are new in my database. Yellowing Oysterling is interesting as it is known for growing on old nettle stems – a perfectly valid habitat, I suppose! Collybia aquosa is also new to me. Not exciting to look at, but a very typical looking Collybia. I do like the Sooty Cup, if the identification is right, as I love all those unusual fungi of strange shape without gills. Horsehair Parachute is a pretty looking thing. I’m not certain of the identification although it is definitely a variety of Parachute. Agaricus impudicus is a nice specimen, although the identification is not certain because although it looks right and the spores are right, the smell should be stronger and unpleasant. Giant Funnel is a magnificent mushroom. I found it hard to identify initially because the ones I saw initially were very immature, but I went back some weeks later and the huge size of the mature ones decided it. Mine were up to 30cm across but they can get to 40cm! Wrinkled Peach is weird and wonderful. I had been hoping to find some of these for many years.

Apart from these I also saw a very large ring of some kind of Brown Rollrims. They were in the other side of a barbed wire fence and I was rushing for a train but they were so big that they could have been Paxillus obscurosporus, which would be exciting, if correct.


1. Yellowing Oysterling (Crepidotus luteolus).
Growing from the stems of large old dead stinging nettles. Several scattered around. Fan up to 3cm across. Slight sweet mushroomy smell. There are several very similar oysterling species but Yellowing Oysterling is noted for growing on stinging nettle and also the spore size is right. ID is very likely. Sporeprint Pale brown. Spores 7-9µ x 3.5-5µ.

2. Collybia aquosa.
Growing in leaf litter of beech trees. Several scattered around. Cap 2-3cm, stem 5cm. Fairly strong mushroom smell. Tough stem. ID is very likely. Sporeprint White. Spores 3.5-5.5µ x 2.5-4µ.

3. Sooty Cup (Helvella leucomelaena).
Growing in damp rick earth beside oak tree. Two beside each other. Cup 2.5-3.5cm. Mild fungusy smell. I've identifed this as Sooty Cup because it's the nearest matching species that I can find. However this is very tenuous as it doesn't really have the right look to it. ID is wild guess.

4. Horsehair Parachute (Marasmius androsaceus).
Growing through grass and moss, perhaps on oak leaves. Lots in a large troop. Cap 5-12mm, stem up to 4cm. Slight mushroomy smell. This is definitely a type of Parachute, but it's not obvious which one. Horsehair Parachute is the only one with spores small enough though normally that species is associated with heather or conifer debris rather than oak debris. ID is best guess. Sporeprint White. Spores 5.5-7µ x 4.5-5.5µ.

5. Giant Funnel (Leucopaxillus giganteus).
Growing in grassy field. Troop of several small and large. Cap up to 30cm across, fat stem up to 5cm high and 4cm wide. Mild slightly sweet smell. The first 3 pictures are of immature specimens. I went back 3 weeks later and the last 3 pictures are of them fully expanded but collapsed and starting to rot. Sporeprint White. Spores 5.5-7.5µ x 3-5µ.

6. Unidentified.
Growing through grass in field. Several troops. Cap 2-5cm, stem up to 6cm. No smell. Struggling to identify this one. Sporeprint White. Spores 5.5-7.5µ x 4.5-5.5µ.

7. Lilac Bonnet (Mycena pura).
Growing in leaf litter under broad leaf trees and yew. Huge troop of hundreds, some in clusters. Cap 1-5cm, stem up to 4cm. Slight pleasant smell. This identification is shaky, although it does look like a type of bonnet and Lilac bonnet is very variable is colour. Also the spores look right. ID is guess. Sporeprint White. Spores 5-7µ x 3.5-4.5µ.

8. Stinking Dapperling (Lepiota cristata).
Growing in leaf litter in broad leaf wood. Trooping group and scattered around. Cap 2-6cm, stem up to 4cm. Unpleasant smell. Officially the spore print should be white, so not sure why mine had a slight yellow tinge. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint White with slight yellowish tinge. Spores 4.5-7µ x 2.5-4µ.

9. Agaricus impudicus.
Growing in leaf litter in broad leaf tree wood, beside sycamore. Small group. Cap 11-13cm, stem up to 10cm. Very slight indefinite smell. Large delicate ring on the stem. This id looks right, with the dark centre to the cap and the pedulous ring. However it should have an unpleasant smell which casts some doubt. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint Dark chocolate brown. Spores 4.5-6µ x 3-4.5µ.

10. Wrinkled Peach (Rhodotus palmatus).
Growing on rotting log. Some small clusters. Cap 3-8cm, stem up to 6cm. Sweet smell. Wrinkled rubbery cap, tough stem. Sporeprint White with a light pink tinge. Spores 5.5-6.5µ x 5-6µ.

7th October 2019, Brockwell Park

I’ve been visiting and exploring Brockwell park with my lovely girlfriend and her friendly lurcher for several months now. Through summer we would picnic on the grass and sometimes my thoughts would stray to the approaching autumn. What strange mycelia are spreading beneath and will they bring to us their curious fruits?

The Honey Waxcap was a nice find as I love this brightly coloured family although it’s difficult to distinguish between the yellowish waxcap species. The distinctive Collybia inodora is something I’ve found once before, in Ladywell Fields, in a similar habitat. Parasola leiocephala is easily missed when you’re walking past but beautiful and delicate when closely observed. Agaricus lutosus is a first find of this species for me. It’s not often reported so perhaps uncommon.

Apart from those finds, there was one partial ring of Fairy Ring mushrooms, and many circle marks in the grass indicating more underground. Also one or two small Field Mushrooms and some immature Horse Mushrooms.


1. Honey Waxcap (Hygrocybe reidii).
Growing through grass. Troop of several. Cap 1.5-3cm, stem up to 4cm. Faint smell, pleasant. Tough stem. Honey waxcap is often more orangey but can also be yellow, but this might easily be one of the other yellowish waxcaps. ID is guess. Sporeprint White. Spores 7-9µ x 5-6.5µ.

2. Collybia Inodora.
Growing on earth through grass. One only. Cap 1cm, stem 4cm. No smell, perhaps too small to smell. C. inodora grows on wood but this can be buried wood. The id is based upon its very characteristic appearance. ID is very likely.

3. Parasola leiocephala.
Growing through grass under oak. Few scattered. Cap 1.5cm, stem 6cm. No smell. There's many Parasola species with a similar appearance, so could easily be one of those instead. ID is fairly likely.

4. Agaricus lutosus.
Growing in grassy soil in oak copse. Several scattered widely. Cap 3-4.5cm, stem 4cm. Smell almond or a bit aniseed. Tricky to identify but small size and small spores, plus almond smell, makes this id likely. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint Dark chocolate brown. Spores 4-5.5µ x 2.5-4µ.