In the UK there is roughly 15,000 varieties of this interesting fungi, from the larger edible species such as the Puffball and the Horse Mushroom to the lethal Death Cap. Autumn is the best time to go on the hunt for most of the different mushroom species, damp misty mornings are the best time to search. Every year i mean to go looking for mushrooms to photograph, as they come in so many sizes, shapes and colours, but as usually happens life gets in the way. This year was no different from any other but i did actually manage to get a few pictures of some whilst walking the dogs, only taken on my iPhone but i think they came out well.
These guys i found poking through the grass on the sea defence at Wallasea Island, the biggest being nearly 6 inches across. As you can see something has been having a wee nibble on one of them.
On another walk along the same river but upstream a little at Fambridge i stumbled across these beauties. The mushroom on the right doesn,t do justice to how delicate the frills were on this species as well as how yellow the centre was.
Whilst having a couple hours of early morning pike fishing i was doing my usual and having a little nosey along the bank and found these guys so had to get their pictures as well.
Another stroll with my poochies on a local field and more ‘shrooms’ were found. these ones, although pretty in their own right, didn,t look like touching them would be the smartest thing to do. They were kind of slimy looking and definitely looked unappetising, if i was on the hunt for snack that is.
I don’t know the names of any of these mushrooms but i will endeavour to learn more about them at some point. I even fancy having a go at foraging for some of the more appealing varieties so that i can cook and try them, although i am a little nervous about doing this, but i will get a guide to help me pick the right ones. I reckon thats something to mark on the ‘Things To Do’ list for next Autumn.
