The Shroom Room

I love how so many fungi are named - some are inventive, some are hilarious, and others take more of a say-what-you-see approach. I like to think that today's fungal focus takes the latter approach. Whoever named this fungus the Jelly Ear really did just describe what they saw in front of them, and the Latin name is a bit of a mouthful. I have tried many times to pronounce Auricularia auricula-judae , but I'm sure it still doesn't sound right. They really do look like ears made of jelly, and, being a year-round fungus, you can pretty much guarantee you'll come across a group of them at some point. Unlike a lot of fungi, whose fruitbodies appear for a couple of days before degrading, jelly ears persist for a while. They change state depending on the weather, feeling velvety when dry but slippery and jelly-like when wet. For this reason, they're apparently great when used for stock, although I've yet to try this. Characteristics Habitat:  On wo...

Another day, another nature reserve. I found Forest Farm & Glamorgan Canal Nature Reserve  completely by chance, as I saw it on the map when working out how to get somewhere else. As I had a couple of hours to spare, I thought I'd take a little stroll to see what was there, and I was awestruck with how beautiful it is. It's a really big reserve, so I didn't get very far, but what I managed to see was breathtaking. There's a canal path that you can walk along, a public footpath that goes through a wooded area, or open fields. Along the wooded path there are the sounds of lots of different birds and the smell of wild garlic. And, to my delight, lots of species of fungi. As I came across a rotting stump, there was no way I could have missed the clumps of Sulphur Tuft , or Hypholoma fasciculare. Aptly named, they are sulphur yellow in colour and grow in tufts on dead wood, pretty much all year round. They have a very distinctive mushroom smell, and their gills ...

Spring is finally upon us, and whilst greenery is emerging and bright flowers are peeping through the cracks that winter has left, things are still somewhat quiet in the fungal world. With the main mushroom season being late summer and autumn, there is a way to go before we can see mushrooms at every corner. However, as the weather is beginning to warm, there are a few species that are starting to emerge. One such mushroom is the  Common Inkcap , or  Coprinopsis atramentaria . Common Inkcaps have a long season, beginning to appear in spring and continuing to fruit until the end of autumn. Like the majority of their Inkcap cousins , their caps expand outwards, eventually becoming an inky liquid.         They tend to form in groups and grow on buried wood. Most of the ones I've found have been under trees in grassy areas, such as parks or fields. I like to think their caps look like arrows pointing out of the soil.        ...

Mushrooms often share many characteristics, and it can be difficult to differentiate between two based purely on the features of the mushroom itself. One key part of identifying a mushroom is taking a spore print, which can often help to narrow down your search. In order to take a spore print, you need to collect the mushroom and take it home with you. It's important to note that depending on where you are, collecting mushrooms may or may not be allowed. If you're in a park or similar, there is usually a sign at the entrance with the bylaws, should it be illegal. Additionally, it is illegal to pick wild food anywhere in the UK with the intention to sell it, and should only pick as much as you require. Even while taking these things into account, I still think we should be as mindful as possible about the nature around us. Fungi play a vital part in the ecosystem. With that in mind, I always try and protect the environment around me as much as possible, following a few simpl...

Fungi are such a diverse group of organisms that often it's difficult to believe what you're looking at is related to the mushrooms we use in the kitchen. I have stumbled across many a fungus that sparks this kind of reaction in me, one of which is King Alfred's Cakes , or Daldinia concentrica. They are extremely bizarre-looking, forming large black lumps on dead wood. Where there's one, there tends to be multiple. Their name is derived from the story of King Alfred, who allegedly hid in the house of a peasant woman whilst the Vikings were wreaking havoc. The woman asked Alfred to watch her cakes in the oven; however he was so distracted by his problems that he let them burn. And I suppose these fungi are what the cakes looked like in the end. Rather fitting, too, as they feel smooth, hard, and if you tap on them, they sound hollow inside. In fact, if you were to cut open one of these 'cakes', what you'd find inside is zones of shiny circles. Alth...

Bracket fungi are the most difficult to identify for me. I find they all look rather similar and I'm aiming to work on this in the future. There is one bracket, however, that I never fail to identify - the Turkeytail , or Trametes versicolor . These are probably one of - if not the - most common bracket fungi. I have found them everywhere: on stumps in front gardens, logs in woodland and wooden posts in town. If there is wood, there is probably Turkeytail. It has been disputed whether there are multiple species under the name 'Turkeytail', or whether they simply come in an array of colours. I read somewhere that 'true' Turkeytails are slightly hairy to the touch, whereas 'fake' Turkeytails are smooth, however elsewhere I have also read that the texture of Turkeytails depends on their age. Therefore, I'm going to leave the species debate to the mycologists and continue with the assumption that all colours come under the 'Turkeytail' brack...

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...