The Shroom Room

Rain is usually a consciously-avoided element of mine; however after the dry spell we've been having, I welcomed it with open arms this week, hoping that it might encourage some fungi to emerge. I was not disappointed! In an attempt to expand our mushroom-hunting horizons, Matt and I have been researching new areas to go. On Saturday, we drove to Cwm George and Casehill woods in Dinas Powys for an early March stroll. This wood is over 500 years old and it's beautiful. We had a great time walking around and found loads of different species of fungi. I've chosen today to focus on one in particular: the Velvet Shank , or Flammulina velutipes (the scientific name is fun to say out loud!) These lovely fellas are out from autumn til spring, so I've seen them around quite a lot in the last few months. They like to grow in small groups on dead wood, and most of the ones I've found have been on stumps. They have an orange cap which is often sticky to touch, and the...

Glistening inkcaps are my favourite winter mushrooms. When it seems cold, dark and wet every day, a glistening inkcap poking out of a log is sure to cheer you up. They are light and shimmery, like something magical. Even though I have so many pictures of them, I always stop to take more whenever I see them, because they truly brighten my day. A cluster on a log Members of the Coprinus family - also known as Inkcaps - are quite different from other species, because most of them "auto-digest". This means that towards the end of their life, their caps roll upwards, turning into an inky-black liquid, hence the name.  Inkcaps were the first family I was able to identify quickly, as they are rather unique and therefore difficult to confuse with other genera. It is possible, however, to confuse mushrooms within the genus, so as always it's best to go about identifying with an open mind and above all, caution. The gills are turning black, indicating the auto-...

Winter is long.  And although spring is beginning to shine through the cracks, it's not exactly the most abundant time of year for mushrooms.  Over the last few months I have ventured into parks and woodland in search for signs of the few species that stick around for the colder weather, and though I have been pleasantly surprised on some occasions, it can feel disappointing to find so little after the autumn when mushrooms pop up everywhere you look. Imagine my surprise then, when I found a small cluster in my own garden! They were peeking out of a garden waste bag filled with soil, leaves and other debris. I was so excited about it that I actually did a little bit of a dance! I'd never seen this mushroom before, so I was anxious to get stuck into identifying what it was. I picked one out of the bag to take a closer look and make a spore print. Characteristics Habitat: On soil and debris. Also found in grass. Cap: 1.5cm across, orange, turning...