Fungi really are fascinating. They are neither plant nor animal but are so distinct from either that they are a kingdom in their own right.
You won’t be able to see many species because they are such small structures and many are hidden underground. For those that you can see, the visible part above ground is just the fruit of a much larger and more complex structure. Some of the biggest networks stretch for 10,000 square foot under the grounds of forests. These networks play a vital part in the ecology of woods, sharing nutrients with trees, creating habitats and helping the decaying process.
Fungi come in a variety of different shapes, colours and sizes from beautifully elegant to incredibly ugly!
Mushrooms can make a delicious food but many are poisonous with some even causing death so only ever pick mushrooms if you are 100% sure of what you are doing. If in doubt, don’t touch it.
Here are some types of fungi you may spot in the woods:
Candlesnuff fungus
Latin name: Xylaria hypoxylon
Found on dead wood, especially the rotting stumps of broadleaved trees.
It got its name because it looks like a snuffed candle wick with its black base and white tips.
This fungus is so rubbery that you can bend it without breaking it. It produces both sexual and asexual spores, giving it two chances to reproduce.
Morel
Latin name: Morchella esculenta
Found on well-drained soil in copses, scrubby woodland, hedgerows, waste ground and gardens around late spring time.
The morel is edible but is easily confused with the deadly false morel which is found around conifers.
Oyster mushroom
Latin name: Pleurotus ostreatus
Found in large tiered clusters on stumps and trunks, especially of beech.
As well as breaking down woody matter, oyster mushrooms also feed on nematode worms by stunning them with a powerful toxin then sucking out their juices.
Chicken of the woods
Latin name: Laetiporus sulphureus
Found mainly on oak tree trunks but can also be found on the trunks of yew, cherry, sweet chestnut and willow.
It has a chicken-like texture and is considered a delicacy in Germany and North America. However it has been known to cause dizziness and stomach upsets in some people so eat with caution.
Field mushroom
Latin name: Agaricus campestris
Found in short grass following rain, usually in ring formations.
It looks similar to the poisonous yellow staining mushroom so be careful if picking.
Giant puffball
Latin name: Calvatia gigantea
Found in grassy places such as woodland edges, fields and parks, often in ring formation.
They can sometimes grow to up to 150cm in diameter and weigh up to 20kg.
Penny bun
Latin name: Boletus edulis
Found near oak, beech, birch and coniferous trees, usually on open ground.
It is prized by the food industry which dries it and use them as flavourings for soup.
Chanterelle
Latin name: Cantharellus cibarius
Found mostly near oak and beech in the south and near birch and pine in the north, often in moss on slopes. It has a faint apricot aroma.
Shaggy parasol
Latin name: Macrolepiota rhacodes
Found in woods and shrubberies, often near conifers and has a sweet aromatic smell. Its flesh turns pinkish orange when sliced in to.
Sickener
Latin name: Russula emetica
Found under pine trees on damp soil, often in groups.
It has a fruity aroma, but as the name suggests, eating it will make you vomit.
It looks similar to the beechwood sickener although that is smaller and less bright red.
Stinkhorn
Latin name: Phallus impudicus
Found in woodlands but also gardens.
It is usually identified by its aroma which has been compared to dead animals and rotten drains. This stench comes from a slime which erupts to release its spores. The smell attracts flies which spread the spores helping it to reproduce.
The daughter of Charles Darwin, Etty, wanted it removed from the English countryside ‘because of its influence on the maids.’
Razorstrop fungus
Latin name: Piptoporus betulinus
Found on the trunks and branches of living and dead birch trees. In Victorian times they were dried and used to sharpen cut-throat razor blades.
Wooly milkcap
Latin name: Lactarius torminosus
Found in woods and heaths, usually with birch trees and on damp, peaty soils.
If the flesh is broken it bleeds a while ‘milk’ which is severely irritating to the digestive system.
Death cap
Latin name: Amanita phalloides
Found in mixed deciduous woods, especially under oak and beech and often in groups.
Just half a death cap causes liver and kidney failure; this species is responsible for 90% of all fungi related deaths.
Shaggy inkcap
Latin name: Coprinus comatus
Found on grass, roadside verges and disturbed ground. Despite its fragility it can raise tarmac paths.
The Magna Carta was signed with ink made from this mushroom.
Fly agaric
Latin name: Amanita muscaria
Found around the base of birch trees and also in pine and spruce woodlands.
It is poisonous and can be fatal. It was traditionally used as an insecticide because of its ability to both attract and kill flies.
Common bird’s nest
Latin name: Crucibulum laeve
Found in clusters on decaying wood, twigs and bark. They are common but are easily missed because of their small size, they are 4-8 mm across.
The small egg-like contents contain the spores and are knocked out by raindrops which helps them spread.
Jelly ear
Latin name: Auricularia auricular-jadae
Found in clusters drooping from dead and dying branches, especially on elder.
The name comes from the Latin for Jew’s ear because of the legend that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree.
Pink waxcap
Latin name: Hygrocybe calytripformis
Found in old, short grassland, lawns and churchyards, often found near other waxcap mushrooms. It is also known as the ballerina because its dusky pink cap flattens and splits with age causing it to flick up like a tutu.
Orange peel fungus
Latin name: Aleuria aurantia
Found in damp bare soil and grass on ditch banks, woodland rides and sometimes gardens.
It is at first bowl-shaped but over time starts to split and become flatter resembling discarded orange peel.
Wood blewit
Latin name: Lepista nuda
Found growing on dead organic matter in all types of woodland, in hedgerows and sometimes grass.
It prefers the cold and damp of early winter when many other types of fungi have gone. It has a perfumed aroma.
Yellow brain
Latin name: Tremella mesenterica
Found on dead twigs and branches of broadleaved trees, especially hazel, birch, ash and sometimes gorse. It is a poisonous fungus.