Although fungi can be found at almost any time of year, the best time to see the largest numbers of different species is in the Autumn. There are estimated to be 15,000 species of fungi in Great Britain and distinguishing them takes years of practice and often requires the use of a microscope to look at the structure of spores. These species below can be found in or near woodland areas so look out for them particularly from August to November in Harmers Wood.
If you are foraging and hope to find edible mushrooms ask yourself if you have the necessary field experience as a mushroom hunter. Even experts who have been identifying fungi for decades sometimes stop short of giving a fungus a species name. If botany (my area of expertise) is anything to go by, you will need to have been attempting identifications in the field for 5 to 10 years in the company of more experienced mycologists. This way you will have seen fungi in all their stages of growth and their typical aberrations.
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Amanita muscaria Fly Agaric Look for it under Silver Birch trees. |
This is an intoxicating mushroom which could do harm to someone with a heart condition if ingested. It is said that the men of some Siberian tribes drank a potion of this mushroom mixed with Vaccinium uliginosum (Bog Bilberry) boiled together in water or milk. Hallucinations happen after about 30 minutes but the really good bit is that the active ingredients aren't metabolised so you can drink your own urine for a further fix. Well, you can if you want to..... |
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Ganoderma sp Look for it on oak trees in Harmers Wood. |
There are two likely species of Ganoderma in the Great Britain: Ganoderma applanatum (Artists Bracket) and Ganoderma australe (Southern Bracket Fungus). Unless you are an expert mycologist, it will be tricky to identify this genus to species level. Even experts often need to examine the spores under a microscope to be sure. It will grow on a wide variety of trees such as Oak, Beech and Ash. |
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Hypholoma fasciculare Sulphur Tuft Look for it on old logs and rotting tree stumps |
This is a wood rotting fungus which, as its name suggests, tends to grown in clumps or tufts. Sulphur Tuft is attractive to look at and not entirely dissimilar to some edible mushrooms. However it is bitter and poisonous; consuming it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and convulsions. |
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Laetoporus sulphureus Chicken-of-the-woods Look for it growing on dead or dying oak trees. |
When young, the fruiting bodies of this fungus are fairly soft and pale to mid orangey-yellow but when older (first image) they go hard and darker. This is an edible fungus and is said to have both the texture and taste of chicken meat. But there are other yellowish bracket fungi to be found in Great Britain which might look similar to the untrained eye. |
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Scleroderma citrinum Common Earthball Look for it in woods, grassland or heaths - almost anywhere. |
Scleroderma citrinum is an ectomycorhizal fungus. This means it forms relationships with the roots of trees and shrubs, forming a sheath around them without penetrating the cell walls. It can be parasitsed itself with another fungus: Pseudoboletus parasiticus. It is rare but you would see one fungus growing out of another. |
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Fomitopsis betulina Birch Polypore Look for it on older Birch trees in Harmers Wood |
This actually the fungus you are most likely to see in Harmers Wood. It frequently grows on fallen birch logs or on older birch trees or stumps and is common in the general area. |