How to identify fungi

Autumn is the best time to go in search of fungi and you may well be surprised at just how many you find!

Fungi can be found in a wide range of habitats across the world and are a crucial part of the whole web of life because of their ability to digest material and recycle nutrients. 

Neither plant nor animal, the 15,000 fungi species in the UK make up an entire kingdom of their own. Some are delicious, whilst others are poisonous and every habitat is home to this adaptive organism.

Learn how to identify the common fungi species found in your local greenspaces.

Shaggy Inkcap

The Shaggy Inkcap displays a tall, narrow, cylindrical cap that is white and very 'shaggy' with 'scales' over its surface. The cap gradually opens out to a bell shape. The gills are very crowded; they are white at first, then turn pink and eventually black, dissolving from the margin of the cap until it is almost entirely gone. The Shaggy Inkcap has a tall, smooth, white stem with a moveable ring.

Where to find it

Shaggy Inkcap is widespread and common on roadside verges, parkland, grassland and gardens, growing in small groups.

Fly Agaric

This distinctive fungi has a red cap, either flat or rounded, often with a scattering of white spots or warts, and a white stem. The gills, beneath the cap, are free of the stem.

Where to find it

Fly agaric is found in woodlands, parks and heaths with scattered trees, typically growing beneath birch trees or pines and spruces.

Chicken of the Woods

he chicken of the woods is a bright sulphur-yellow fungus comprising several thick, overlapping brackets. The individual brackets are soft and spongy when young and exude a yellow liquid if squeezed. They are fan-shaped with an undulating margin. The upper surface is velvety and yellow-orange with a zoned margin, while the underside is yellow and covered with pores.

Where to find it

Chicken of the Woods grows high up on the trunks of standing deciduous trees, such as oak. It is widespread, found in woodlands, parks and urban areas.

Scarlet Elfcup

The Scarlet Elfcup has rounded, regular-shaped fruiting bodies that look like cups; they have a bright scarlet and smooth inner surface. The outer surface is pale pink and covered in tiny hairs. The cup has a very short stem.

Where to find it

Scarlet Elfcup is a widespread but scarce fungi. It is found on fallen and decaying hardwood twigs and branches in damp deciduouswoodland, banks and ditches.

Jelly Ear

Jelly Ear is a gelatinous purplish-brown fungus that grows in cups on branches. As the cups age, they develop lobes and can look uncannily like an ear growing from the wood. The inner surface of the cups is smooth and shiny, whilst the outside is velvety.

Where to find it

Jelly Ear fungus grows on dead and dying branches. It is most often found on elder trees, but can sometimes be encountered on other species such as ash, beech and sycamore. It favours damp, shady spots and often grows in clusters.

Candlesnuff

The fruiting body of the Candlesnuff fungus is simple, erect and stick-like. It is black and hairy at the base of the stem and powdery white at the tip. The stem can become flattened and branched in a fork like an antler, hence the other name of 'Stag's Horn'.

Where to find it

Candlesnuff grows in groups on dead and rotting wood, and can be found on stumps and branches of all sorts of trees.

Common Puffball

The fruiting bodies of the Common Puffball are pear or club-shaped, with an obvious stem. They're whitish at first, becoming browner with age. The surface is covered with short, bobbly warts. These break off as the puffball ages, leaving little scars on the surface.

Where to find it

The Common Puffball grows on the ground in woodlands and grasslands, often occurring in small clusters.

Parasol Mushroom

The Parasol Mushroom starts spherical/egg-shaped, before flattening out into an umbrella or parasol shape with a distinct dark brown central bump (umbo) and coarse brownish scales over pale flesh.

Where to find it

Parasol Mushroom are commonly found on permanent grassland, heathland and woodland glades.

Yellow Staghorn

Yellow Staghorn is a bright yellow to orange-yellow jelly fungus with a distinct antler-like shape. It is gelatinous, rubbery, and greasy to the touch when fresh, turning dark orange and shrivelled in dry weather.

Where to find it

Yellow Staghorn grows exclusively on decaying conifer wood, stumps and roots.

Food for thought

Whilst some are edible, many fungi species are extremely poisonous and can be hard to tell apart. 

NEVER eat a fungi you find unless you are absolutely sure of its identity. Unless you are with an expert, it is best to leave mushrooms where you find them - that way they will be able to release their spoors and reproduce so others can enjoy their beauty in years to come.

Picking fungi on our reserves

Surrey Wildlife Trust does not allow the picking of fungi on any of our reserves. Many of these sites are ecologically sensitive and have environmental protections in place prohibiting the removal of plants and animals. The removal of mushrooms is particularly damaging as they are the reproductive parts of a fungi, meaning species can be lost if they are over-harvested. 

Our policies regarding fungi and foraging