Common puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)
Other names: gem-studded puffball, warted puffball, devil’s snuff-box, wolf farts
When to see: July – November
the smallest room
Black Bulgar
Black bulgar (Bulgaria inquinans)
Other names: black jelly drops
When to see: October-March (but can be found all year round)
A small, leathery cup-fungus commonly found in clusters on fallen branches/dead trees – particularly oak and beech. Some say they look like liquorice drops (1) or Pontefract cakes (2).
Trooping Funnel
Trooping Funnel (Infundibulicybe geotropa)
Other names: monk’s head; giant funnel, rickstone funnel cap
When to see: September-December
This common mushroom, with a typical mushroom smell, is found in mixed woodland, often in clearings. They are often found standing in ‘troops’ (straight lines/ranks or arcs) or in rings.
Porcelain Fungus
Porcelain fungus (Oudemansiella mucida)
Other names: slimy beech tuft, poached egg fungus
When to see: July-October
These delicate, semi-translucent white-ivory mushrooms are typically found on beech wood: dead trunks, fallen branches or dead branches on living beech trees. They are, therefore, saprophytes, i.e., obtaining their nourishment from dead or decaying organic matter.
