Often, I will find a mushroom and never be able to work out what it is. I will spend days searching the internet and looking in books, but never able to solve the mystery. It can be really frustrating. This happened to me at the beginning of May, when I was walking home from an appointment and saw a white mushroom poking out of the grass nearby. It was the first time I'd seen a mushroom in over a month, so I was pretty excited about it. I did what I usually do: took pictures, examined it, made notes. Then I went home to do some research, and couldn't find anything. So I forgot about it.
Yesterday, whilst I was doing research for another mushroom, I accidentally clicked on a wrong link and ended up on a page describing the Milky Conecap, or Conocybe apala. I had an "aha!" moment, as I recognised instantly that it was the same mushroom I had spent so long trying to find a name for. Let me tell you, there's nothing more satisfying than putting the final pieces together.
Milky Conecaps are very fragile and have a short life. They can appear in the morning after rain and be gone by the afternoon. For this reason, and also their size, they often go unnoticed. It's no surprise then, that when I came back the day after I'd spotted this little mushroom, that it was on its way out.
Characteristics
Habitat: In grass, such as lawns, parks and sometimes woodchip mulch.
Cap: 0.8-1.5cm in diameter, 4-6cm tall, conical. Milky white colour, sometimes with ochre patches. Surface is wrinkly.
Stem: 3-6cm long, white/cream. No ring, fragile.
Gills: Adnexed or free, ochre coloured, turning darker with age.
Spore print: Rust-brown
Season: Early summer to autumn
Edibility: Poisonous; although it is not certain, there have been reports that it contains deadly toxins, so in any case, avoid!
If nothing else, this will be a lesson to me that if I look hard enough - intentionally or otherwise - I will eventually discover the name of a fungus!
Disclaimer: I am not an expert. Never eat a mushroom you've found without confirmation that it is edible by an expert.
Yesterday, whilst I was doing research for another mushroom, I accidentally clicked on a wrong link and ended up on a page describing the Milky Conecap, or Conocybe apala. I had an "aha!" moment, as I recognised instantly that it was the same mushroom I had spent so long trying to find a name for. Let me tell you, there's nothing more satisfying than putting the final pieces together.
Milky Conecaps are very fragile and have a short life. They can appear in the morning after rain and be gone by the afternoon. For this reason, and also their size, they often go unnoticed. It's no surprise then, that when I came back the day after I'd spotted this little mushroom, that it was on its way out.
Characteristics
Habitat: In grass, such as lawns, parks and sometimes woodchip mulch.
Cap: 0.8-1.5cm in diameter, 4-6cm tall, conical. Milky white colour, sometimes with ochre patches. Surface is wrinkly.
Stem: 3-6cm long, white/cream. No ring, fragile.
Gills: Adnexed or free, ochre coloured, turning darker with age.
Spore print: Rust-brown
Season: Early summer to autumn
Edibility: Poisonous; although it is not certain, there have been reports that it contains deadly toxins, so in any case, avoid!
Disclaimer: I am not an expert. Never eat a mushroom you've found without confirmation that it is edible by an expert.
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