Bracket fungus growing on dead wood, probably Willow

Detail

This bracket fungus was photographed in woodland on 12th March 2000. The upper bracket was about 10cm (4") across. To view larger versions of the pictures (35K and 21K respectively) click on the thumbnails.

Bracket fungus growing on an ornamental Prunus
Autumn 1999

Underside	Detail (top)

Amanita sp. growing in grass under sweet chestnut trees
Autumn 1999

Various woodland fungi (October 11th 1999)

Yellow ? Russula sp.	Fly Agaric under Birch: the archetypal toadstool, much commoner in some years than others.	? Helvella crispa under Birch
Birch Bolete: one of the Boletus family with a sponge-like underside rather than normal gills	Birch Bracket: very common on old, dead and dying birches	Fly Agaric (24th October)

Woodland Fungi October 8th 2000

A small purple fungus growing under beech, probably the Amethyst Deceiver Laccaria amethystea.

White fungi, part of a ring about 3' across, growing under beech.

A puffball, one of a group growing at the bottom of a fallen dead tree trunk, probably beech.

Inkcaps

Inkcaps (Caprinus comatus) are a common sight. These toadstools, also known as Lawyers Wig, appear in grassland, trackside edges etc. and develop very rapidly. At first the toadstool has a tightly closed cap and whitish gills, but then the cap opens from the bottom, with the edges curling back to reveal the gills. At this stage the spores develop fully, and the gills disintegrate to release them as a black, sticky liquid.

Group of inkcaps, showing various stages in the development, from the tightly closed caps at the right through the “lawyer’s wig” stage (far left) to the fully mature toadstool with dripping spores (second left).

Detail of a young inkcap with the cap just beginning to open.

A slightly older specimen showing how the spores drip out as the gills disintegrate from the bottom, revealing more of the stalk.

A group of three mature specimens, showing how the cap curls back and eventually almost completely disintegrates; black streaks of spores can be seen on the exposed stalks.

Fly Agaric and Giant Puffball Autumn 2002