A wide variety of fungi were found on the weekend at Broadwater Warren as Martin Allison, a fungus expert and ex-RSPB Warden led a guided walk through the reserve. It was a pleasantly sunny, autumnal day as we hunted along path edges and in the woodland for mushrooms.
Our searching was quickly rewarded as we found a young specimen of an ominously named species called the False Death Cap (Amanita citrina, below). As the name suggests, this species resembles, and is closely related to, the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides), one of the most poisonous mushrooms that exists. One of the key ways of differentiating the two is by smell: the Death Cap has a sickly sweet smell, whereas the False Death Cap smells like potatoes! The genus Amanita also contains the most iconic mushroom, the Fly Agaric (the classic red cap with white spots).
Another species of Amanita we found was the Grey-veiled Amanita (Amanita excelsa, below). The name comes from the grey-coloured skin-like substance found on the cap. This is the remnant of something called a ‘universal veil’ that protects many Amanita species when they’re very young. As the mushroom grows, it breaks apart and the only evidence of its presence in mature specimens is these pieces left on the cap and a sac around the base of the stem. This ‘remnant veil’ is what gives the Fly Agaric its white spots!
Next, we found the more benign sounding Bay Bolete (Boletus badius, below). You can easily identify a Bolete by looking underneath the cap; instead of having ‘gills’ like the mushrooms you buy in the shops, it has what are called ‘pores’, which look like little holes. This is a relative of the famous Cep, which is prized as being one of the best edible mushrooms.
Fungi come in all shapes and sizes like this species of Jelly Fungus (below) growing out of a dead birch tree. Mushrooms are incredibly important organisms within an ecosystem. One of their roles is to break down ‘lignin’, which is what makes trees hard. Without fungi, the world would be covered in dead trees! Indeed, there was a period in the Earth’s history after plants evolved lignin but before fungi evolved the ability to decompose it, where exactly this happened; it was called the Carboniferous, and resulted in the deposition of fossil fuels such as coal.
It is important to note that although some species of mushrooms are edible (and delicious!) some are deadly poisonous, so do not attempt to eat any unless you’re absolutely sure what you’re dealing with. Furthermore, while picking mushrooms is comparable to picking the fruit from a tree and doesn’t damage the organism that lives within the soil, we discourage over-picking of mushrooms as it can have a detrimental effect in the long term and means others can’t enjoy them.
If you’re interested in learning about mushroom identification and/or ecology, then please come along to one of our fungus walks on Saturday 13 October at Tudeley Woods or Thursday 18 October at Broadwater Warren; £4 for RSPB members and £8 for non-members.
If you have any questions about fungi or guided walks, then please feel free to e-mail me: Thomas.pinches@rspb.org.uk