UK Fungi

Please help me identify this mushroom

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  • March 5, 2021 at 12:18 am #32052
    matt-h

      Hello everyone,

      I’ve just registered and this is my first post.

      I was walking my dog the other day and came across one of these: (the next day it was gone)

      Unknown Mushroom - Side View.jpeg

      [attachment=1]Unknown Mushroom – Side View.jpeg[/attachment]

      Unknown Mushroom - Top View.jpeg

      [attachment=0]Unknown Mushroom – Top View.jpeg[/attachment]

      I have been on a few mushroom identification websites and it seems to match a Heath Waxcap (Gliophorus laetus)? Would you agree? Apparently it would be very late in the season for one of these. I know nothing about mushrooms and this is the first one I’ve ever seen in the wild!

      It was found in a grassy field near Ingarsby, Leicestershire on 21st Feb. It was about 5 or 6cm wide. I didn’t notice any smell.

      Many thanks,

      Matt

      March 5, 2021 at 8:03 pm #44056
      Chris Yeates

        Hello and welcome to the site.

        Given the general appearance – and the time of year – I think what you have there is Tubaria furfuracea. The fruiting bodies of fungi can change quite a lot as they age, and this one has faded somewhat. Compare with http://www.carmarthenshirefungi.co.uk/2015/01/tubaria-furfuracea-scurfy-twiglet.html” class=”bbcode_url”>http://www.carmarthenshirefungi.co.uk/2015/01/tubaria-furfuracea-scurfy-twiglet.html

        I’m sure that over the next year you may well spot lots of different fungi. Please feel free to post here – and, a word of warning, trying to compare things with pictures on websites is often not very helpful.

        Hope that helps

        Chris

        March 5, 2021 at 8:17 pm #44057
        Peter Roberts

          Hi Matt! There are very few toadstools that typically produce fruitbodies in winter, but i think this is one of them: Tubaria furfuracea scurfy twiglet – a bit late in the season, but I noticed one in the garden a couple of days ago. The cap is hygrophanous, soaking up moisture, so changes from reddish brown to pale buff as it dries out. Gliophorus laetus would be way out of its normal season – but is differently coloured and very slimy, hence the name glio-phorus, glue/slime-bearing. It is also only found on old, unimproved, acid grassland such as sheep-grazed moorland.

          March 5, 2021 at 8:20 pm #44058
          Peter Roberts

            Beaten me to it. I never was a fast typist…but at least we agree!

            March 6, 2021 at 12:24 pm #44059
            adampembs
            Keymaster

              Best advice I would give is to get a guide book (supporting Chris’ comment about forlornly scrolling through web images)

              Then the most important things to check as a beginner are:

              1) Spore colour

              2) Spore colour

              3) Spore colour

              A spore print is ideal but a guess can often be made from seeing a deposit on the stem or leaves, twigs, other caps underneath.

              You can also guess from gill colour, but this requires knowledge /skill as there are problems with that method. Some mushrooms, eg waxcaps have pigmented gills. Also, an immature cap will have immature spores, eg Field Mushrooms, Agaricus campestris gills are pink when immature although it is a black spored species.

              Most guide books, eg Collins (Sterry & Hughes) will list mushrooms in order of spore colour.

              They also describe the major groups for the important characters for that group so learning the groups will help.

              In this case, you would find your mushroom has brown spores, easily ruling out any waxcap.

              Best wishes

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