Wild mushrooms
August 2005 was wet and warm which is the ideal condition to stimulate the growth of mushrooms. We found and amazing variety springing up all over the garden. A few of the specimens we found are displayed on this page, and hopefully identified correctly. We did try eating some of the edible varieties that we found, but only after extensive checking.
Shaggy Parasol mushrooms - ours were found growing under poplar trees. A very attractive mushroom and edible.
Shaggy Ink Cap - Appears one day and is gone, leaving an inky mess after just two days.
Glistening Inkcap - We get hundreds of these in the meadow when conditions are damp in late summer and early autumn. These also turn to an inky mess after a few days.
Meadow puffball - We have only had one of these but it was a magnificent specimen. It was growing in the field.
Slippery Jack - These grow under our Scots pine from about June. They have a slippery coating on top and yellowish pores, rather than gills underneath.
Jews Ear - Not a very politically correct name, but it does look like an ear. These were found growing on an old Elder stem.
Stubble Field Volvar - These were growing in large numbers in the field behind us after the wheat had been harvested and as the stubble lay on the ground in wet conditions. They grow about 10cm high.

In addition to the pictured mushrooms we also get Fairy Rings with Fairy Ring Champignons ( they are small but they do go well in soup ), Brown roll Rims under our birch trees, small Japanese Parasol mushrooms and we have even had Oyster mushrooms growing on an old poplar stump. Plus we get lots of other small mushrooms that we have not been able to identify.