Guest Blog by Neve Phillips, Consultant Ecologist
Nature’s hidden gems
Did you know that the UK has an incredible 15,000 species of fungi!
Autumn is a brilliant time to spot some of these, with a wide variety of shapes, textures and colours to look out for.
Fungi are nature’s hidden gems; quietly recycling nutrients and sustaining ecosystems with their remarkable adaptability. Their diverse forms and vibrant colours remind us of the intricate connections that thrive beneath our feet.
Where to find fungi
Fungi can be found on decaying wood, in leaf litter and growing from the ground. However, not all are visible: underground networks of mycelium are vast but invisible to the naked eye. Just one gram of soil can contain up to 90 metres of mycelium when extended!
Oxfordshire’s varied landscapes of agricultural land, footpaths, woodland and gardens provide the perfect mix of habitats for a host of fungi species.
Exploring the woods to find these fascinating organisms deepens our appreciation for the changing seasons and the rhythms of life they bring. Nature’s cycles, illuminated by the presence of fungi, invite us to pause, observe, and connect with the world around us.
So take a moment outdoors—who knows what wonders await on your next adventure?” See if you can find some of these fungi on your next Autumn walk.
Brackets
Chicken of The Woods
An edible bracket fungus that grows from tree trunks.
This sulphur-yellow fungus has smooth, pored, spongey shelves that overlap. Although this is an edible mushroom, it can cause nausea. This fungus favours oak, beech, cherry, chestnut and yew.
Turkey Tail
Turkey tail fungus is a bracket that unsurprisingly resembles a turkey’s tail.
Forming overlapping thin shelves, turkey tails display a mix of greens, greys, and browns in rings, with the outermost ring always pale or white. Turkey tails grow on dead hardwood such as oak and beech. While fungi are more plentiful in Autumn, turkey tails can be found year round!
Jelly Ear
Jelly ear mushrooms are identifiable by their jelly like flesh, which wiggles if poked. They are reddish and soft, and commonly eaten in Asian cuisines. Somewhat uncommonly, jelly ears persist through to January and February, so can be found even when many other mushrooms are past their fruiting stage. These brackets favour dead or living elder, but can be found on other trees occasionally.
Toadstools
Fly Agaric
A very poisonous mushroom, the fly agaric is distinctively red with white scales. Varying from dome to parasol shaped, they can be found in many woodlands but most often in Birch woodland. This mushroom can be seen through Autumn until December and is striking against the forest floor.
Magpie inkcaps
Magpie inkcaps crop up in deciduous woodland, usually around beech trees.
Their distinctive black and white cap degrades throughout its fruiting lifespan, appearing to drip ink onto the ground. In fact, these drips can be used as viable ink. This poisonous mushroom has long gills and stalks and grows in chalky, alkaline soils.
Puffballs
Puffballs are like party poppers of the woods! They propel their spores by being squished by animals, or squeezed by people.
They are delicate and dusty, but easy to spot on the woodland floor.
Before they reach this stage, puffballs are in fact edible – never eat anything you’re unsure about. They have a purely white interior, and giant puffballs can be as big as a football!
Yellow Staghorn
Yellow staghorns can be seen poking up from the woodland floor, or through decaying wood.
They are bright yellow and resemble the horns of a stag – hence the name. They are similar to candlestick fungus, which is black and white as opposed to orange/yellow.
Neve Phillips, Consultant Ecologist
A zoologist and ecologist, Neve has always been fascinated by fungi, foraging from an early age.
Neve continues to build on her knowledge of the natural world through her studies in Conservation Ecology – her focus: re wilding and conserving UK wildlife.
