One of my favourite shrooms with its firey orange shades and fibrous cap. Found growing on rotting logs and stumps in coniferous woodland and very occasionally also on hardwoods. It also grows on woodchips used as mulch.
Fairly common and widespread in Britain, it can be seen June to November.
I believe this is Rosy Bonnet (Mycena rosea), very closed related to Mycena Pura, and in fact they may well be one and the same species.
I spotted this beautful pair in the local wood this morning as I went on my first mushroom hunt of the season. Muddy knees indeed!
October 2019 © Pete Hillman.
In June 2016 I began blogging here on WordPress, and I am so grateful to have been able to interact with so many wonderfully creative and talented people from all walks of life and from all over this amazing Blue World of ours. I would just like to say a big thank you to you all, for your generosity in all that you share and do to make this such an interesting and beautiful journey!
Because I love macro so much I am sharing some of my closest and most personal favourite photos … and why I choose a mushroom theme because it is a world we do not see everyday. To me it is a magical world, a fantasy world of the micro, almost like another dimension right under our feet. They can also be quite challenging worlds to capture, but the bigger the challenge the bigger the rewards. I do hope you enjoy fellow bloggers!
Click once to expand view, click again to get that little bit closer
June 2018, near local pond, Staffordshire, England. © Pete Hillman.
This quite an odd fungus. It is called Rusty Porecrust (Phellinus ferruginosus), and is a rusty-brown or gingery coloured, velvety resupinate. It is common and widespread, and found growing in irregular blobs on fallen branches and logs of deciduous trees.
November 2017, found on dead birch, local woods, Staffordshire, England.
Angel’s Bonnet (Mycena arcangeliana) November 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
I managed to capture at least one of these tiny, delicate Fairy Inkcap (Coprinus disseminatus) shrooms before they all dissolved into an inky black goo on the side of the rotting tree stump they had sprung from. It is amazing what can happen within a few days in the natural world: Fruiting; spore release; dissolving. And how they change colour and form compared to my previous post.
November 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
Candlesnuff Fungus Xylaria hypoxylon, on rotton tree stump, November 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
October 2017, local field, Staffordshire, England.
Early stage Fairy Inkcap (Coprinus disseminatus), on rotting tree stump, October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
Angel’s Bonnet (Mycena arcangeliana), on fallen stick (they are very small), October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon) on rotting tree stump, October 2017, local woods, Staffordshire, England.
Bracket Fungi, October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) on dead Beech, October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata) on dead willow, October 2017, local river bank, Staffordshire, England.
October 2017, growing on dead willow on local river bank, Staffordshire, England.
October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
Funeral Bell (Galerina marginata) October 2017, growing on dead willow local wood, Staffordshire, England.
October 2017, local wood, Staffordshire, England.
Lifting a small fallen log yesterday, just off a woodland path, I found this growing on the underside. These long spiderweb-like white fibers are hyphae. This structure, as a whole, is the vegetative structure of fungi called the mycelium, and is what we see when we find a tomato in its decomposing state. It is typically found in soils and on other organic matter. If you could lift the corner of a forest or woodland floor like a carpet, you would find it matted and thriving there.
Fruiting fungi like mushrooms and toadstools produce spores, and these spores have the ability to turn into mycelium, which in turn manifest themselves as fruiting bodies after joining with another mycelium.
Mycelium come in different sizes, from microscopic to as large as a whole forest, and acts as one of nature’s important recyclers. It it amazing what lies just beneath our feet, a vast web of life which is essential to the health and well-being of the wood or forest, and in turn life on earth.
This bolete is ochre, reddish-brown or chestnut in colour, and can be greasy and felty, developing cracks near the centre. The pores are a bright lemon-yellow, becoming olive with age. Cap width 8 to 15cm. Stem height 8 to 12cm.
Seen late summer to early autumn. Found in deciduous woodland, but not exclusively with oak as the common name states. A rare bolete which is more frequent in the south.
Photographs taken September 2011, local canal, Staffordshire. Camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38. © Pete Hillman 2011.
Mycena pseudocorticola, December 2016, local river bank , Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
I came across this mushroom on the edge of a woodland path growing amongst rotting leaf litter. Notice the tiny white flecks on the cap which are fine scales and the remains of a thin, fine veil.
Photographs of Glistening Inkcap (Coprinellus micaceus), taken December 2016, local woodland path, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Photographs of Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), taken December 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 18-55mm lens.
I always go and have a look at the old willow growing on the river bank. Its moss laden boughs host a lot of interest this time of year. I was astounded to find just how many of these tiny mushrooms were growing out of the moss, creating a most beautiful and magical display .
Photographs of Mycena pseudocorticola (top image) and Iodine Bonnet (Mycena filopes), taken December 2016, local river bank , Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Sometimes when we see photographs it is hard to get a sense of scale of things. If it wasn’t for the moss in the above image we may be led to think that this is just an ordinary mushroom of sorts. Until you look at the image below of my little fingernail.
The mushroom is out of fungus, I mean out of focus due to the depth of field, and I took the photo one-handed. A tripod would not have reached the height of the bough it was growing on. I roughly estimate that you could propably fit the tiny mushroom on my fingernail up to 50 times. To the right of my finger you can see some fruiting cup lichen and its leaves, which I hadn’t noticed at the time when taking the photograph.
Photographs of Iodine Bonnet (Mycena filopes), taken November 2016, local river bank , Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. Manual setting, hand-held. ISO 320. 1/160 sec. f/6.3.
Photographs of Jelly Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae), taken November 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Nikon 18-55mm lens.
Photographs of Birch Milkcap (Lactarius tabidus), taken October 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
A fairly large mushroom with a cap of up to 12cm across, it is golden yellow or rusty brown covered in darker scales.
Found clustered on the dead wood of deciduous trees, especially tree trunks or logs. It is widespread but occasional.
Photographs of Golden Scalycap (Pholiota aurivella), taken October 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
When I came across these potato-like mushrooms in my local wood I couldn’t help but think of the scene from Alien when John Hurt found himself surrounded by numerous alien eggs. I only saw the one to start with, and I photographed it, and then looked around, my eyes now accustomed to the gloom in this part of the woods, and saw there were quite a few more scattered about and poking through the leaf-litter.
I am just really glad one didn’t crack open for something terrible to spring out into my face!
Photographs of Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum), taken October 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
I came across clusters of this inkcap growing out the rotting base of an old tree trunk. The cap is covered in fine white mica-like scales or flecks. It grows up to 3cm across, begins egg-shaped then develops into a bell-like form. The gills begin white then turn black.
Seen May to November in clusters on decayed stumps and buried wood of deciduouis trees. Common and widespread throughout.
Photographs of Glistening Inkcap (Coprinellus micaceus), taken October 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
Like a little, fine and delicate Japanese parasol, lost in a deep green jungle.
Photographs of Pleated Inkcap (Parasola plicatilis), taken October 2016, local roadside verge, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
A pale yellowish-beige scalycap, tinged greenish at the margin, covered in pointed scales. The cap is convex, then flattens out. It is greasy at first then dries out dull. The stem is a pale yellow-beige, becoming rusty coloured at the base. Cap width 3 to 8cm. Stem height 3 to 7cm.
Seen in autumn, found clustered on the decayed remains of deciduous trees, often seen growing out of the ground from buried wood. Common and widespread.
Photographs of Sticky Scalycap (Pholiota gummosa) taken October 2011, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2011. Camera used Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38.
This is a fairly large bracket fungi which I have seen singularly on Birch tree trunks or in tiers going quite high up the tree.
Sometimes called the ‘Razorstrop Fungus’ (so named for in the past it has been used as a strap to sharpen razors), it has a smooth leathery upper surface which is pale brown, whilst the rounded margin and underside is white. The underside is soft and spongy, and full of minute spores. Fruit body up to 25cm across.
Seen all year round in birch woods, and is the cause of death of many of these trees. Common and widespread.
Photographs of Birch Polypore (Piptoporus betulinus) taken October 2011, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2011. Camera used Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38.
Also called the ‘Common Yellow Russula’, this fairly distinctive mushroom has a yellow-ochre cap which grows up to 10cm in diameter. The gills and stem are a creamy white colour.
Seen August to November in broadleaved or coniferous woodland where the ground is well-drained and dry. One of the commonest of the brittlegills, it is common and widespread.
Photograph of Ochre Brittlegill (Russula ochroleuca), taken October 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
The morning sun is shining, the birds are singing from beyond high boughs, and fallen autumn leaves crunch under foot as I walk along the narrow, meandering woodland path. Beneath an aged Sweet Chestnut tree I spot such a magical minature world of wonder.
There is hardly any light, and what little light there is it is fairly diffuse beneath the canopy of woodland trees. And yet here they grow from the hollow of the tree, a world of fungi, this species named Sulphur Tuft.
Photographs of Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare), taken October 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens. ISO 800 to 1000. 1/50 sec. f/6.3. Compensated flash used. All hand-held.
I have been itching to get out into the woods all week to try to track down some fungi to photograph, but with work and the rapidly diminishing afternoon light it has not been possible until this afternoon. I ventured into a local Beech wood which I always enjoy walking through, and growing out of a fallen giant was this most beautiful Porcelain Fungus.
This is one of the great attractions of Beech woods in the autumn. Sometimes called the ‘Poached Egg Fungus’, the cap is slimy and translucent, giving the impression it is made out of porcelain. It is white or ivory in colour, greyish when young, and grows up to 10cm across The gills are white, and the slender stem has a prominent ring.
Found July to October in groups or clusters on dead or dying broadleaved trees, especially Beech. Common and widespread.
Photographs of Porcelain Fungus (Oudemansiella mucida), taken October 2016, local wood, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2016. Camera used Nikon D7200, with Sigma 105mm macro lens.
A bright and quite spectacular mushroom found in clumps growing from dead wood. Sulphur-yellow cap colouration, with orange-tan centre. Cap width 2 to 10cm, stem height 4 to 10cm.
Seen all year round on both deciduous and coniferous dead woods in dense masses. Widespread and very common.
Photograph of Sulphur Tuft (Hypholoma fasciculare) taken November 2011, nature reserve, Staffordshire. © Pete Hillman 2011. Camera used Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38.
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