Twig Parachute - Marasmiellus ramealis

The fungal kingdom is fascinating in many ways, if not only because in the same step you can find a mushroom as big as your head, and one smaller than your finger. There is a whole world around us which we can't even begin to imagine, and it is quite special when you spot one of these tiny treasures.

In my case, my latest tiny find was the Twig Parachute, or Marasmiellus ramealis.

Had it not been for the sheer number of these mini mushrooms, I'm not sure I would have seen them. They were growing on a pile of fallen twigs - hence their name.

Their caps are white with a pink tinge to them, and they are usually darker at the centre. They start out convex and become increasingly flattened over time.

The curved stem becomes darker towards the base and their gills are white to pink in colour.

Characteristics

Habitat: On twigs, usually old ones. Often in large groups.
Cap: 3-10mm across, convex then flattened. White to pink in colour, darker at the centre.
Stem: White-pink in colour, darker at the base. Curved.
Gills: Adnate and distant. Pinkish-white.
Spore print: White
Season: Early summer to autumn
Edibility: Inedible

It really pays to look closely for smaller mushrooms - you might be pleasantly surprised!

All photographs taken by my wonderful husband, Matthew Leatherbarrow.

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

Comments

Milky Conecap - Conocybe apala

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

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Pale Brittlestem - Psathyrella candolleana

Going for a walk on a weekday is really rather peaceful, as everyone is at work. It can feel like you have a whole section of the world to yourself, like your own little secret. That's how I felt today walking down the Rhymney Trail . There were loads of birds and dragonflies about, but other than that, I was pretty much by myself. It wasn't until I was on my way back that I found any mushrooms. I came slightly off the path to look at a pile of fallen trees and, just as I was about to give up, I spotted a cluster of mushrooms, nearing the end of their life. It's been really dry the last couple of days, so it's likely they ran out of moisture. When I looked to the floor next to me, I saw some more poking out of the ground. They looked similar to a cluster I'd found in March, which I'd only recently identified. I went home to make a spore print and look at my old pictures, and concluded that these elderly fungi were Pale Brittlestems , or Psa

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