Mushroom season is upon us

A keen fungi forager brought some mushrooms in to be freeze dried this morning. Naturally, being British, the weather featured in our conversation. But in this case it wasn't small talk, it was a recognition that hideously dark and wet autumn weather is the Harbinger of Mushrooms. Now is the time to be seeking them.

Waxcaps CC image by Andreas Kunze

Inspired by his lovely collection of Hygrocybe (waxcaps) I sought some information on the internet, and I found a website you may find useful - The Mushroom Diary.

It's written by John Harris and features fungi from this country. The website zooms about a bit in a rather annoying way (perhaps I'm just oldfashioned) but the photos are good, there's usually some useful description and id tips, and as it's a blog you can tell when he found what. It's quite nice to browse through (in the hope that the species will spark some recognition when you see them in the flesh).


I also like his general identification guide which highlights the features you need to scrutinise your mushroom for.