Fungus Trail 4 October 2026

Over 30 people joined the Friends and local fungus expert ….. in spotting mushroom and other fungi in the park. The picture shows many of the ones we found. Unlike the mushrooms we left the polyphores were they were. Read on to found out more.

Mushrooms (also known as toadstools): have a stalk, a protective cap and gills that release reproductive spores. As the saying goes, “all mushrooms can be eaten, but some only once”. You would not want to eat many of the ones we found.

·       Amanitas:

o   Fly Agaric,

o   Blushers,

o   Tawny Grisette,

o   Grey Spotted

·       Red-cracked and Bay Boletes

·       Ochre, Purple and Green Brittlegills

·       Brown Rollrim,

·       Deceivers,

·       Lilac Bonnet,

·       Oak Milkcaps,

·       Clustered Toughshanks,

·       Buttercup,

·       Clouded and Aniseed Funnels,

·       Sulphur Tuft

Polypores: also known as bracket or shelf fungi, form large fruiting bodies called conks. These have pores on the underside that release spores.

·       Birch Polypore,

·       Hoof Fungus,

·       False Artist's Bracket,

·       Hairy Curtain Crust,

·       Hen of the Woods

Finally, representing the gasteroid fungi, we did find an Earthball.  Gasteroids, such as puffball, earthballs and stinkhorns, produce spores inside a fruiting body rather than in gills (mushrooms) but don’t have pores unlike the polypores.