We will try to ID your mushrooms here

[hedgewizard]

Yes, they look like parasol mushrooms to me - nice double ring and snakelike markings on the stem.

The other ones I'm not sure about. I can't see any ring on your photographs, despite what you said, but I'll take your word for it and plump for another lepiota species. It looks like a L. mastoidea, but that's usually found in woodland and has quite a thick ring on it. I'll plump for L. excoriata but you'd need to check further. Panel?

[Tay]

Thanks for the reply.

I looked at Rogers Mushrooms site again following your suggestions, and I can see very little difference between them and my mushrooms. They definitely had a ring, but the ring was quite fragile, so didn't show in the photo as I must have damaged it when cutting it in half.

I went out again today, and most of the unknown mushrooms have now been destroyed by sheep trampling so no need to worry about it, unless of course more grow. If I find more, I could take them to a pharmacy and get them to identify it.

I managed to find 15 more parasols today in a different location as well as some wood mushrooms; hopefully more will spring up soon!

[hedgewizard]

Wow. We don't really get that kind of training in UK any more - when it comes to wild food most pharmacists would be hard pressed to identify their own arse with both hands and a map.

[Tay]

Indeed! In France, all pharmacists are trained to recognise at least 80 mushroom species as well as several snake and spider species (sorry, can't remember the figures for these). Most give out free leaflets/posters with illustrations and details too.

Perhaps it is because so few people go 'shrooming in the UK that somebody has decided that pharmacists don't need be able to identify fungi. I can only think of one person in the UK that used to collect mushrooms; I can think of many more here.

[hedgewizard]

It's a sad world, and this corner of it doesn't seem to have enough mushrooms in it. I must go walking.

[caithnesscrofter]

You got a death wish cheezy I think it is from the boletus family but it looks more liek boletus satanoides which is poisionous although you have found a pretty rare mushroom. Mind you it could also be boletus impolitus which is edaible - although I can't be sure.

boletus satanoides

or try this page for a bunch of Boletus pictures.

Sorry if I keep being a party pooper with your mushrooms but you do have to be 100% sure before you munch on some.

bang on.. that's what I though they were too at first glance.

[hedgewizard]

Would you believe it? The one day I don't take a basket with me (I was metal detecting) I walk into a mushroom wonderland! I gave up after ten minutes because I couldn't hold any more in the front of my jumper. Horse mushrooms, field mushrooms, macrosporus, bay boletus. Most of it's gone in the dryer tonight along with about a quarter of our split carrots (damn you, careless watering!)

[Shirley]

I'm pretty sure that these are chanterelle mushrooms... the man in the deli shop said that he had been picking them and so I asked where.. he gave us clear directions and also gave us the bit about not stripping the land of them... (as if we could.. there are hundreds!)

Anyway... just thought I'd double check





There were in mainly beech woodland on the bank of a small stream and smell of apricots.

[caithnesscrofter]

lucky you! THEY look great!!

[Andy Hamilton]

Yep they certainly look like chanterelle mushrooms, remember where you picked them as they are suposed to grow in the same place every year. Although I went to the place where I found some last year and did not find anything.

[hedgewizard]

Yes, definitely chanterelles. Take a good look at the gills, in case you ever find FALSE chanterells which look superficially similar, but have proper gills and don't have the apricot smell.

[dhole]

Ide have t disagree in that false chanterelles do smell very nicely of apricots... I have found them alot and 3 or four of us remarked on how amazing they smell. However, none of the real chanterelles I have found ( cibarus) haven't smelt of apricots.....
dave

[hedgewizard]

I'd have to query your ID on the chanterelles then I'm afraid! It's one of the classic ways of telling the difference - false chanterelles have true gills that fork but don't reunite, a slightly inrolled margin, and a nondescript mushroomy smell.

[Shirley]

They were absolutely delicious btw... I'd never eaten them before.

[hedgewizard]

yeah, nice with eggies!