14th October 2020, Farningham Wood near Swanley

I was last in Farningham Wood six years ago and it was good to return. I’ve had some great finds here in the past, including Horn of Plenty, Deathcap and Bay Bolete. On this visit, though, it seems that the fruiting of fungi hasn’t started in earnest yet. Or perhaps it’s going to be a lean year after the cornucopia of last! There were a few mushrooms to be found although wandering under the trees often resulted in nothing for twenty minutes or more.

First find was some Field Mushrooms growing on a small green on the way to the wood…, not really enough to gather for eating. The Weeping Widows were quite young and hadn’t yet started to deliquesce. Pholiota spumosa is a new species for me although the id is not certain. Coldfoot Bonnet is also new to me but these similar looking Bonnet (Mycena) mushrooms are always hard to tell apart so I’m not sure about the id. But Aurantiporus alborubescens is a great find, a rare fungus that I’ve read was first recorded in Britain in 1991 but is slowly spreading. Online there’s a confirmed record only 2 miles distant, so I’m convinced that this is right. Smoky Bracket is another new recording for me although it is very common. I might have often ignored it to focus on more exciting baubles but this was a very striking specimen. The Deceiver is also very common but very variable in appearance so hard to identify with certainty unless you look at the spores under a microscope – all the Deceivers (Laccaria) have round spiny spores.


1. Field Mushroom (Agaricus campestris).
Growing in small area of grass. Small group. Cap around 8-10cm. Stem 6-8cm. Pleasant mild mushroom smell. Sporeprint Dark brown. Spores 5.5-7.5µ x 4.5-6µ.

2. Weeping Widow (Lacrymaria lacrymabunda).
Growing in earth with organic debris and gravel. Large troop of clusters and singles. Cap 1.5-7cm. Slight mushroom smell. Mottled gills, stem hollow and easily broken. Appearance is more like the related species Lacrymaria pyrotricha but the spores are clearly the right shape and better size for Weeping Widow (Lacrymaria lacrymabunda)). ID is very likely. Sporeprint Black. Spores 7-8µ x 5-6.5µ.

3. Pholiota spumosa.
Growing earth containing woody debris. Group of large clusters. Cap up to 4cm. Stem up to 5cm. Very slight smell. This is a somewhat shaky id, but the small spore size excludes a lot of similar looking mushrooms. ID is best guess. Sporeprint Brown. Spores 4.5-6µ x 3.5-4.5µ.

4. Coldfoot Bonnet (Mycena amicta).
Growing in mixed woodland. One. Cap 0.8cm. Stem 4cm. Too small to smell. Could easily be another type of bonnet, difficult to be sure with only one specimen. Photos are terrible due to very poor light. ID is wild guess. Sporeprint White. Spores 6.5-8.5µ x 4.5-6µ.

5. Aurantiporus alborubescens.
Growing on chestnut log. One. Bracket 22cm wide, 12cm deep. Possibly more than one bracket, fused. Little smell. Saturated with water, soft texture like cheese. This is an uncertain id but seems likely. This species is found in Europe but was first found in Britain in 1991. There is a confirmed record only 2 miles away. ID is fairly likely. Spores 6.5-8µ x 5-6µ.

6. Smoky Bracket (Bjerkandera adusta).
Growing on large fallen branch, probably beech. Large group of fruit bodies, many joining together. Smell rather fetid. Flat patches but also some in more bracket form. Tough and leathery. ID is almost sure. Sporeprint White. Spores 3.5-4.5µ x 2.5-3.5µ.

7. The Deceiver (Laccaria laccata).
Growing in grassy field. Several scattered in group. Cap up to 1.5cm. Stem up to 5cm. Slight indistinct smell. This would be hard to identify except that the spherical spiny spores are very characteristic of the Deceiver genus. Sporeprint White. Spores 7-9µ x 7-8.5µ.