Monday 26 September 2011

Fungi Foray at St Ives Estate, Bingley - Saturday 1st October

We had brilliant Fungi Foray event at St Ives Estate, Bingley, on Saturday 1st October. We found so many mushrooms and learned so much about them. And the weather was really hot and sunny!

We invited fungi expert Bob Taylor along to help us find and identify as many mushrooms as possible – and he didn’t let us down! Firstly, Bob told us loads of interesting facts about fungi, their fruiting bodies (the bits we can see above ground), the bits underground (the mycelium, that can extend for several miles!), their spores, the things they eat, and much more.

Bob hoped to find a "top ten of mushrooms" - we didn’t find them all but we did find plenty, including some before we even set off.  Here are just some of the highlights:

Common Puffball

Sulphur Tuft

Sulphur Tuft (underside)

Fly Agaric

Brown Birch Bracket

Brown Birch Bracket (underside)

Birch Brown Bolete

Red-cracked Bolete

And it didn’t stop there! We also found: Jelly Ear; Honey Fungus; Coconut-scented Milk Cap; Brown Beech Bolete; Earth Fan; Blusher; Fairies Bonnets; Common Yellow Russula; Blackening Russula; and Shaggy Pholiota.

Phew! Well done everyone on their hard work finding all those fungi.

Important info
As we all know, some mushrooms are poisonous if eaten, so it is important that you handle them carefully.