Fantastic Fungi and where to find them

Going for a wander in the great outdoors this time of year can yield some exciting sightings of wildlife, even if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking at. Autumn is a fantastic time of year to spot an abundance of feathered creatures, spy mammals preparing for hibernation or just bask in the glorious fiery palette of changing plant life.

But what about looking through the seasonal hustle and bustle to a realm of nature we often overlook; funky fungi? The dynamic world of the decomposers is often met with caution or indifference; their unfamiliar life forms shrouded in mystery, menace and myths.

In this blog I want to share with you five fantastic fungi, which should be easy to ID and common enough to find even in urban green spaces. I’ve included three jargon-free identification features for each mushroom, as well as an idea of where it might live. Have a read and you could perhaps venture out on your own fungi hunt!

1. The Shaggy Ink Cap; Coprinus comatus
AKA: The Lawyer’s Wig
Lives: You can spot this distinct mushroom in meadows, woodland and even verges at the side of the road.

ID in three:

• White egg-shaped head becomes a bell shape as it grows.
• Shaggy scales on the cap give it its name
• Whitish-pink gills quickly turn an inky black and liquify – quite dramatically!
  
  

2. Jelly Ear Fungus; Auricularia auricula-judae
AKA: Wood Ear
Lives: Likes shady and damp spots in woodland and hedgerows, a big fan of elder trees.

ID in three:

• Tan brown colour with a purple tinge.
• Wiggles and feels like jelly, with a soft, velvety texture.
• Often looks like little wrinkly ears on tree branches – the woods are listening! 
  
  

3. Candle snuff; Xylaria hypoxylon
AKA: Stag's horn fungus
Lives: Found on rotting wood, particularly fond of tree stumps and big old logs.

ID in three:

• Appear as little white spikes, sometimes simple and sometimes branched like a deer’s antlers, or stag's horns.
• Often found in clusters, and can grow up to 5cm high.
• The bases of the little stalks are black, and the rest of the spikes blacken as they get older.

4. Blushing Bracket; Daedaleopsis confragosa
Lives: Really likes willow, but found on other dead wood like birch. Can be spotted throughout winter unlike many other fungi.

ID in three:

• Looks like a yellow to brown ringed disc stuck on the side of a trunk or branch, up to 20cm wide!
• Quite often found in tiers or steps up a trunk.
• If you scratch the underside, it bruises a blush pink colour (see photo) – you could call it the ‘tickled pink test’.
  
  

5. Clouded Funnel; Clitocybe nebularis
AKA: Clouded Agaric
Lives: Turns up in woodlands and sometimes hedgerows, and can often appear in large fairy rings or fairy circles.

ID in three:

• Can be a big hefty mushroom, growing up to 20cm across!
• A greyish colour similar to the colour of clouds, with whitish/ creamy gills.
• Starts off a typical mushroom shape but becomes more of a funnel shape when fully grown.
  
  

So there you have it, five distinct fungi you can hopefully spot with relative ease! You don’t need to trek into deep wilderness or countryside to spot these fun-guys (sorry), and once you identify one yourself you’ll start to spot other mushroom mysteries around you...

All five of these fungi can be found at RSPB Sandwell Valley nature reserve, as well as many others! Come to the reserve for a nosey in the undergrowth and explore the weird, vibrant world of the fungus among us...

www.rspb.org.uk/sandwellvalley

ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Some fungi are poisonous, so don’t eat them and always wash your hands after touching them!