Daldinia concentrica, also known as King Alfred's Cakes or Cramp Balls can be seen on the dead wood of broadleaf trees, most commonly ash, and can be seen throughout the year in Ireland and the UK. Young Cramp Balls are red to brown with a matte surface. When they mature they become hard, black and… Continue reading Daldinia Concentrica, King Alfred’s Cakes, Cramp Balls
I am rolling the clock back to September 2020, when I first went to what has become one of my favourite foraying spots in County Wicklow. The abundance and diversity of species took me off guard and I spotted many different fungi including boletes, brackets, puffballs, cauliflower fungi, fly agaric, Elfin saddle, and many more.… Continue reading Daedaleopsis confragosa, Blushing Bracket, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
In the unseasonably warm end of December, I was walking in my favourite local woods and spotted these fancy, frilly, distinctive fungi growing out of some decaying timber almost buried by leaves. I couldn't identify the timber but the woods are mixed, deciduous woodlands. Sheathed woodtufts, Kuehneromyces mutabilis, are known to dry from the middle,… Continue reading Kuehneromyces mutabilis, Sheathed Woodtuft, Co. Kildare, Ireland
Laccaria amethystina, Eskrigg Nature Reserve, Dumfries and Galloway Laccaria amethystina, Amethyst Deceiver, is another of my favourites, on account of its distinct colour. They can camouflage amongst the autumnal leaves and other forest litter in dark woods, in their majestic plum tones, but even more so when older when they can be mistaken for their… Continue reading Laccaria amethystina, Amethyst Deceivers
C. viscosa, Roundwood, Co. Wicklow, November '23 Calocera viscosa, common English name Yellow Stagshorn. These little yellow antlers grow from dead conifers, including stumps and roots. Some may look as though they grow from soil but a little digging can reveal buried wood or long roots penetrating into tree roots. Their beautiful bright yellow colour… Continue reading Calocera viscosa, Yellow Stagshorn
A Lesson and a Correction In my 2024 Calendar I cited these as Scutellinia sp. I recently discovered it was something a little different. It's been almost 10 years ago since I spotted these tiny orange discs in the gravel of a long driveway flanked by a neglected olive grove and agave in Sicily. The… Continue reading Melastiza sp., Monte Altore, Sicily
I remember when I first saw Mucidula mucida. I was on a Buddhist retreat in Co. Wicklow 5 years ago. The theme was connecting with nature. The retreat was very rural, with part of the Wicklow Way running along the top side of the property, Coillte forestry on the other side of the trail but… Continue reading Mucidula mucida, Porcelain Fungus, South Kildare, Ireland
Game of Shrooms is an international art holiday founded by artist 'Daniel 'Attaboy' Seifert' in 2019, and this year I am delighted to be taking part as an artist and an art hunter! The idea is that artists hide mushroom related art works for people to find and keep. They will be in place for… Continue reading Game of Shrooms! Dublin, Ireland!
On a lovely foraging workshop in October, led by the delightful Nicole from Howth Foraging - in a mixed woodland in County Dublin, Ireland, I spotted many treasures, not necessarily good for eating, but catching my eye none-the-less. My favourite find was the so-called Ugly Milkcap, Lactarius turpis. I have an affection for things nicknamed… Continue reading Lactarius turpis, Ugly milkcap, Howth, Co. Dublin
5th September 2020 I love how diverse the forms of fungi can be, and this is (probably - apart from its very similar brother P. hadriani) the rudest looking fungus in the west, sure to illicit scoffs and giggles when seen. This delightfully protruding formation is the common stinkhorn. It first emerges from the ground… Continue reading Phallus impudicus, Common stinkhorn, Co. Wicklow & Catania
5th September 2020 Sparassis crispa, or cauliflower fungus, to me, is one of the most distinctive and fun looking species I've had the pleasure to stumble upon in person. Emerging from the base of conifers, it is a parasite, causing brown rot and can also be saprobic i.e. living on the dead wood. Various sources… Continue reading Sparassis crispa, Cauliflower fungus, Co. Wicklow
31st July 2022 At the end of July, I had a beautiful stay at a retreat centre in Laragh, near Glendalough taking time away to meditate and look after myself. I took advantage of my beautful surroundings and went for a walk along the Wicklow Way. The area I was walking in was a mixed… Continue reading Suspected Lactifluus piperatus, Peppery milkcap, Co. Wicklow, Ireland
07/06/2021 Xylaria polymorpha, Dead Man's Fingers Pottering about my little suburban back garden (in Dublin, Republic of Ireland) which is almost entirely paved, aside from two raised beds at either side, my eye caught sight of a grey undulating clump, sticking out between the chickweed and dry soil. I pondered for a moment whether I… Continue reading Xylaria polymorpha, Dead Man’s Fingers, Dublin
Mushroomination 