Fairy Inkcaps - Coprinellus disseminatus

As the sun has been shining a lot recently, I've been making an effort to enjoy it. After a busy week, I chose today to do some more exploring around our new neighbourhood. There's a nature trail nearby, so I had a walk through there, keeping my eye out for mushrooms as always.

I wasn't expecting much, as it's been really dry recently. The Turf Mottlegills which I found last week had already disappeared. But when I walked off the main path into a more wooded area, I caught sight of a cluster of Fairy Inkcaps, or Coprinellus disseminatus.

While most Inkcaps auto-digest into a black liquid, Fairy Inkcaps don't do this. They do, however, darken with age, and their caps expand outwards as they mature. For this reason, two Fairy Inkcaps growing next to each other could look completely different!

They tend to grow in clusters, sometimes hundreds in numbers, on or beside dead wood. The cluster I found today were on the bottom of an upturned tree. It was only due to the amount of them that I even spotted them.

Fairy Inkcaps are tiny, with caps up to 1.5cm tall. I like to think that fairies wear them as hats. Some people even call them Fairies Bonnets, I assume for this very reason. Other names include Trooping Crumble Caps and Trooping Inkcaps. Their spore print is black.

Characteristics

Habitat: On or beside dead or rotting wood, such as stumps.
Cap: 0.5-1.5cm in diameter. Ovate at first, expanding to convex. Young Fairy Inkcaps have almost white caps, turning beige, then finally grey with black edges. Deeply grooved.
Stem: 15-40mm long, white, turning darker towards the base, which is covered in a white down. Hollow and extremely fragile.
Gills: Adnate, first white, then grey and finally black.
Spore print: Black
Season: Late spring to late autumn
Edibility: Edible, however they are so small it's not worth it!

Make sure to keep an eye out for these tiny treasures throughout the summer and autumn!

Disclaimer: I am not an expert. Never eat a mushroom you've found without confirmation that it is edible by an expert.

Comments

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