The Elder jellies
I’m tramping through scrub on a path used by dog walkers and alienated teenagers. It’s only rubbish which catches my eyes and …
I’m tramping through scrub on a path used by dog walkers and alienated teenagers. It’s only rubbish which catches my eyes and …
In the first lockdown it was revealing just how much nature was all around me. I didn’t need to spend ages preparing …
There’s something about dung which should worry you. In my childhood the local fields of animals had rich dung pats, full of …
“Porca vacca!” is an Italian exclamation meaning “Holy cow!” Its literal translation is “Piggy cow!” Under the pine trees are the small, …
There’s a Blackening Waxcap, Hygrocybe conica, on the moist, shady roadside verges of the industrial estate. It’s a beautiful colour. I’ve seen …
This fungus has a very distinctive fibrous cap. It’s probably a Fibrecap, an Inocybe. They’re often poisonous. I suspect it’s Inocybe rimosa. …
This is a Parasol, Macrolepiota procera. I’ve seen Parasols before with a clear faerie ring over 60m wide in a high mountain …
There are Chanterelles in abundance in the woods. These are Cantharellus cibarius, and a beautiful eggy yellow. They’ll be perfect with scrambled …
There’s a fabulous ink cap on chipped wood on the edge of the field. It’s Coprinopsis lagopus var. lagopus, the Hare’s Foot …
There is a beautiful group of Grey Knight fungi under the pines. Their scientific name is Tricholoma terreum. They are growing on …
There are bright red fungi all over the floor of this beech wood. They are Russulas, commonly known as Brittlegills, and they …
This Birch tree is gradually decomposing. It’s covered in Turkey Tail fungus, Trametes versicolor. It’s one I remember from my childhood, although …
When did you last see a piece of coal? How many people under the age of 30 have ever seen a piece? …
Here’s a find from when it was possible to travel There’s a fungus on this laurel tree: It’s Laurobasidium lauri, which grows …
This Birch Bracket fungus is Piptoporous betulinus. It looks like a bicycle saddle here. I almost expect it to have springs underneath like …
Walking through woodland in autumn is always a delight. The sights and smells are fascinating. I’m delighted when I find a Deceiver, …
There are warty jewels hidden amongst the leaves on the woodland floor. These are Common Puffballs, Lycoperdon perlatum. It’s always an impressive …
There’s a beautiful baby pink fungus on the Heath. I suspect it might be Mycena rosea, the Rosy Bonnet: It’s hard to …
There’s a fungus which is barely visible on the forest floor. It’s Tolypocladium capitatum, the Drumstick Truffleclub. It’s a parasitic fungus which …
It’s time for strange unearthly shapes to emerge from the damp autumnal ground. Yes, it’s mushroom season. This year I’ve been fabulously …
The Dryad’s Saddle fungus is one I remember from my childhood. It can grow huge. It has a beautiful scaly skin and …
Amanita muscaria; the Fly Agaric. Magical, aren’t they?
There are Parasol mushrooms in the fields at Emsworthy Mire. They are huge, but not as huge as the dinner-plate sized Macrolepiota …
We’re on a trip to north Devon, near Lynmouth, on an organised fungus foray. I’m particularly excited about the grassland here as …
I stop the car in a small valley on Dartmoor. There’s an enormous fallen Beech tree and it’s covered with fungi. Glistening …
Waxcap fungi thrive on damp, ‘unimproved’ grassland, or rather grassland which hasn’t be ruined by artificial fertiliser or herbicides. A trip to …
There’s time for a quick trip to Emsworthy Mire on Dartmoor and I’m delighted with the Dusky Puffballs there. Their scientific name …
There are Pestle Puffballs in the churchyard outside my house in Devon. At least that’s what I think they are. I’d better …
Churchyards are often great places for finding fungi. Why? I suspect it’s got to do with their relative protection from pesticides, herbicides …
If coal is natural, why isn’t it still being produced now? How come we can burn coal and more isn’t being made …