The Fungi Diaries

    One of the top three fungi on my wants list is the Penny Bun, cep in France or the Porcino in Italy, (Boletus edulis). Well, this week I can safely say I can tick them off.     While on a hunt in one of our Norfolk woodlands I found three wonderful  examples around a mature beech tree. At first I just saw what looked like a broken mushroom but when I looked it was a stem of a big bolete of some sort. Then within a few feet I spotted my first Penny Bun.     It was a lovely matt brown on the cap and resting upon a bulbous creamy white stem. It was only around 5 inches tall but it was my first which meant a great deal. It was followed by two more over the next 15 minutes or so and boy was I happy.     Three days later I returned to the same spot and found one more smaller one. But then after searching the area and moving on further into the wood I saw a huge example, a perfect Penny Bun, this was followed by yet another, I couldn't beli...

    At last they are arriving, those fantastic red signs of autumn, the magical Fly Agarics, always an excited moment when you spot your first Agaric of the season.     My favourite spot for these magical mushrooms is the Warren at Shouldham, this was where I saw my first ever example and again this year they are popping up.     The Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) loves the company of Birch trees, indeed every specimen I've found has been amongst Silver Birch. They are found in autumn, mostly October but can reach into November.     They are used as food in some northern countries but only after repeatedly boiling  to remove the toxins. They are very hallucinogenic and some people do eat them for recreational use, tho they will experience bad stomach pains alongside the trip.    Next time your walking through woodland and notice a group of Silver Birch trees take the time to forage around, you may be lucky enough to spot these perfect...

    These last few weeks I've been finding lots of lovely Pleated Inkcaps (Parasola plicatilis). These delicate members of the inkcap group occur mainly in short grass. They are very short-lived and appear overnight following rain or heavy dew, the fruitbodies develop, expand, shed their spores and decay all within 24 hours. By the next morning there is usually no evidence of them ever having existed.     You find these little beauties in most areas of short grass such as playing fields and garden lawns. They are found from early summer right up until November.     I often find them in small groups tho mostly they are found in singles. Their wonderful long stems stand well above the grass making them easy to spot.

    This week I seem to have found more Deceivers than I've ever found before. My first find was a lovely small group of around ten in Thetford Forest, followed by a big troop found on our village playing field.     These cute rubbery  looking mushrooms are found both in woodland and grassland. They are very variable in appearance and therefore often difficult to recognise at first sight, hence the popular name Deceiver.    The colour can vary from ochre-yellow to a wonderful brick-red. Deceivers are edible and many people add them to salads tho I fear being so small you would need to find a lot to make a good breakfast.

    During my last wander through Thetford Forest I was lucky enough to find the most wonderful group of Saffrondrop Bonnets.       These beautiful little mushrooms are hard to spot but these were situated partially in sunlight which helped to light up their stunning orange stems.     A lot of bonnet mushrooms are a touch drab looking but a few of this species are beautiful as individuals and the Saffrondrop Bonnet is certainly one of these. This bonnet is not common and is only occasionally found in Britain. The cap is Bell shaped and silky smooth with orange/yellow staining.     Often found alongside beech trees in the autumn months yet can be found in the later summer months. I must admit I was over the moon to spot these wonderful little mushrooms and will be keeping an eye out for more in the coming weeks.

    Well the rains have done their job and at last the fungi kingdom is enjoying the damp conditions. Even in the village the autumn favourites are appearing and every morning on my cycle I seem to be finding more and more.     Yesterday while walking around the outskirts of the village playing field I found my first Brown Birch Bolete (Leccinum Scabrum), two in fact. They were beautiful little stumpy betes with amazing dark brown caps. They were growing about 6ft from the base of one of the old larger Silver Birch trees that line the field. Felt excited finding them in such a local place, always think of boletes being found in woodland of big forests.      It's always nice ticking off another first and for it to be such a nice mushroom so close to home makes it even better.    There was another younger example just poking it's cap out the mossy grass so I will check back on it in the next day or two. These boletes are safe to eat and I ...

    At long last the rains are here, for two days running we have had good steady showers. I'm hoping like many others that this will help start the autumn fungi off and my three favourite hunting grounds will be sharing their magical mushroom gems with me.     Tomorrow morning I'm heading off Thetford Forest for a couple of hours and I'm hoping that I will notice a differences. It's strange really, all the years I worked in the building trade I never wished for rain, now I look forward to it knowing the fungi will be making an appearance.    This past month the woodland is so dry, walking under the trees has been like walking on cornflakes, the dry leaves crunching under foot. Hopefully tomorrow will be better more damp walk.