14th October 2015, Hayes Common

I’d never thought of going to Hayes Common before, but had to visit John’s college in Hayes in the morning so decided to explore the common afterwards. It seems to have a long history as a mix of heath/woodland so was quite hopeful to find some mushrooms…, and I wasn’t disappointed. Seven species that I’d not found before: Lilac Pinkgill, Fleecy Fibrecap, Tawny Grisette, Laccaria striatula, Snowy Waxcap, Hygrocybe helobia, Conifer Tuft. I have to admit some of my identifications are uncertain but that often happens with new finds. Apart from these I also found a Russula that smelt strongly of ripe cheese! It must be either Camembert Brittlegill or Sepia Brittlegill, but no pictures unfortunately.

I’ve come to love Waxcaps with their bright colours and slightly cartoonish appearance, so it was nice to find Snowy Waxcap and Hygrocybe helobia. Snowy Waxcap is good to eat and I must try it the next time. Formerly I never found any Waxcaps, tramping around woods as I did, but now that I’ve broadened my habitats to include unimproved grassland, I find loads. (But not in Ladywell fields.) Here, all the Waxcaps and some other fungi were in a small patch of grass around the main crossroads, which was a little surprising. Perhaps that same patch of grass has been there for hundreds of years.

Tawny Grisette is a large attractive looking Amanita which I’m surprised not to have seen before as it’s common and there were quite a few around. It claims to be edible but I can’t see myself eating any of those nefarious Amanitas anytime soon. Today my favourite find was perhaps Laccaria striatula which I think should be called the ‘Stripey Orange Deceiver’. I don’t generally much like Deceivers but this one has a pleasing kind of frozen craggy look.


1. Lilac Pinkgill (Entoloma porphyrophaeum).
Growing in longish grass. Two. Cap 7-8cm, stem 9-10cm. Earthy smell. Lilac Pinkgill is a common mushroom but it's not one I've really noticed before, so my confidence in the id is a bit shaky. ID is guess. Sporeprint pinkish brown. Spores 10.5-13µ x 7-8.5µ.

2. Fleecy Fibrecap (Inocybe flocculosa).
Growing in leaf litter near oak and holly trees. Troop of more than a dozen. Cap up to 6cm. No smell. This id is rather doubtful, but it's certainly a fibrecap and I can't find another species that's more likely. One of my books says it's probably a complex of species, implying some variability. ID is wild guess. Sporeprint brown. Spores 6.5-8µ x 4.5-6µ.

3. Tawny Grisette (Amanita fulva).
Growing in leaf litter near oak and holly trees. Several solitary mushrooms dotted around the wood. Cap 8cm, stem 12cm. No smell. Notably distant gills. My books say this is edible but I'm not sure that I will ever bring myself to eat any Amanita! Sporeprint white. Spores 9.5-12µ x 8.5-11µ.

4. Common Stump Brittlestem (Psathyrella piluliformis).
Growing on oak log. Several clusters on the log. Cap up to 5cm. Smell mushroomy. Brittle stems. Some of my mushrooms were quite large for this species. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint dark umber brown. Spores 4.5-6µ x 3-4.5µ.

5. Laccaria striatula.
Growing in moss beside birch tree. Several scattered. Cap 2-4cm, stem 4-8cm. No smell. Thin tough stem. Philips says this mushroom is rare and I can't even find it in Buczacki. It's a very attractive little thing and didn't initially look like a Laccaria (Deceiver) at all. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint white, but not enough to be sure. Spores 6.5-9µ x 6-8µ.

6. Coconut Milkcap (Lactarius glyciosmus).
Growing in moss and leaf litter near oak trees. Several scattered around. Cap 2.5-4.5cm. Strong coconut smell. Milk not very profuse. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint white. Spores 6-8µ x 5-6.5µ.

7. Snowy Waxcap (Hygrocybe virginea).
Growing in grass/moss. Lots trooping. Cap 1.5-5cm. No smell. The books say the cap is only up to 4cm across and I found one with 5cm, but it's still most likely to be Snowy Waxcap which is very common. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint white. Spores 7-9.5µ x 4.5-6µ.

8. Unidentified.
Growing in grass/moss. One. Cap 5cm. No smell. Could be an immature specimen? Looks like a Knight (Tricholoma) but these all grow in woods, so not sure. Difficult with only one specimen. Sporeprint white. Spores 5.5-8µ x 4-5.5µ.

9. Hygrocybe helobia.
Growing in grass/moss. A few scattered around. Cap 1.2-2.5cm. Slight indistinct smell. These can apparently have a garlic smell but I didn't smell these very carefully as I was expecting the usual lack of smell with a waxcap. ID is best guess. Sporeprint white. Spores 6-9µ x 4.5-7µ.

10. Unidentified.
Growing in grass/moss. A few widely dispersed. Cap 0.4-1cm. No smell, but not big enough to smell properly. Very hard to identify small brown unremarkable mushrooms. Spores 8-9.5µ x 5-6.5µ.

11. The Blusher (Amanita rubescens).
Growing in grass/moss. One. Cap 11cm. No smell. Stem tapers upwards. Id is quite uncertain. Habitat is wrong but this must be an Amanita and none of them specialise in grass habitats. It was really quite near trees. ID is fairly likely. Sporeprint white. Spores 7.5-10µ x 5.5-7.5µ.

12. Conifer Tuft (Hypholoma capnoides).
Growing on rotting log. Hard to identify tree species but conifers were around. A few dotted in small clusters. Cap up to 6cm. No smell. Didn't taste it, but wish I had as Conifer Tuft tastes sweet, unlike other tufts. This has the definite look of a Hypholoma Tuft with greyish pastel coloured gills. In theory could be a Sulphur Tuft or Brick Tuft but doesn't have the right cap colour for either of those. ID is best guess. Sporeprint brown. Spores 6-7.5µ x 4-5µ.

13. Beech Milkcap (Lactarius blennius).
Growing in leaf litter near oak and holly trees. Several dotted around. Cap 3-5cm. No smell. Milk very hot. Not growing anywhere near beech trees but apparently the Beech Milkcap isn't all that fussy. ID is very likely. Sporeprint white. Spores 7-8.5µ x 5.5-7µ.