Appearing mysteriously overnight in the dank and dark places of the earth, it’s no wonder that there are so many magical tales about fungi. In Britain we’ve always been a bit suspicious of mushrooms and toadstools (there is no real difference between the two), associating them with malevolent magic – there are Devil’s Fingers, Witches’ Eggs, Green Elfcups and Fairy Bonnets.
Green Elf Cup by Anna Allum
Perhaps the most famous toadstool is the red and white spotted Fly Agaric, familiar from story books featuring pictures of a toad or elf perched atop its colourful form. This spectacular toadstool can be found growing amongst the autumn leaves on the woodland edge, especially alongside Birch.
Fly Agaric by Anna Allum
The circular growth formation favoured by some species – and most particularly the Fairy Ring Champignon – has been attributed to fairies dancing, lightning strikes and again witchcraft (with the rings known as hag tracks or in French ronds de sorcieres). Whilst we now know that the appearance of the fruiting bodies results from a natural growth pattern of fungal threads that spread outwards from the original fungal spore, I’d still be careful not to stand in the middle of one lest I fall asleep for one hundred years or be whisked off to the land of the wee folk!
Perhaps our suspicions are well founded, after all some fungi is deadly poisonous; consumption of just small amounts of the Death Cap, Panther Cap and the splendidly-named Destroying Angel could result in a painful death. But fungi can be immensely useful too. They are nature’s recyclers, many are symbiotic with the trees with which they grow, some are very tasty, help us to make beer and even produce life-saving medicines.
But most of all I enjoy fungi for their beauty, variety and fabulous names. Kicking through the rusty red and golden leaves on a walk through the wood you come across the delicate Amethyst Deceiver – a beautiful regal purple toadstool.
Amethyst Deceiver by Anna Allum
Growing amongst the moss on the trunk of an ancient oak is the smallest but most perfectly formed Mycena or Bonnet Fungi.
Mycena pseudocorticola by Anna Allum
The wavy yellow brackets of Hairy Curtain Crust adorn decaying tree limbs on the woodland floor.
Hairy Curtain Crust by Anna Allum
This year I’ll be searching through the woodland in search of Scurfy Twiglets, Rosy Bonnets and Yellow Brains. At Pulborough Brooks we’ll be setting up a fungi trail leading you through the wooded heathland trails on the nature reserve identifying some of the marvellous mushrooms and terrific toadstools. So if you want to get to know your parasols from your puffballs come along to the reserve during October and you can pick up our fungi trail map and spotters guide from the welcome hut (Charge £1.50).
Find out more about the trail:
Fungi trail - more info here