Please try to include photos to show all parts of the fungus, eg top, stem, and gills.
Note any smells, and associated trees or plants (eg oak, birch). A spore print can be very useful.
Forum rules
This is a wildlife forum, not a cooking one. Please do not ask for the identification of fungi for edibility or narcotic purposes. Any help provided by forum members is on the understanding that fungi are not to be consumed. Any deaths or serious poisonings are the responsibility of the person eating or preparing the fungus for others. If it is apparent from a post that the fungus is for eating or smoking etc, the post will be deleted and a warning given. For more on our reasons, see the FAQ page.
I've picked a few of these thinking they are horse mushrooms but now I'm thinking they're possibly Yellow Stainers. Some key points:
Picked in early Nov (07/11/23)
Found in a playing field not too far from some trees, in SE London
Pink gills
Scaly cap, that is a gray-ish brown colour
Mushroomy smell, not particularly phenol-like. Tried crushing the stem of one or two to see if there was an unpleasant smell, but just smelled mushroomy.
Some caps stain yellow - some bright, some faintly so - when scratched. Younger speciments seem to stain more.
Yes, definitely part of the xanthodermus group with that bright yellow. The colour change within seconds or minutes?
Odd about the smell, sometimes you get it only in the stem base.
