Fungi Friday 🍄

Tuesday 31st October, West Sussex

Honey fungus can be a tricky one to predict. Sometimes it can pop up quite early in the season, but in recent years I’ve seen the first fruiting bodies later in the autumn. This year is an example of that.

I was walking down the street near an area of grass and some trees when I saw this clump of honey.

I think this is Armillaria mellea due to the colouring of the fungus and the presence of a ring on the stipe.

It was growing on what I would guess is the roots of the cherry seen here. I have a lockdown memory of a fast food delivery driver picking cherries and eating them from this tree.

I suspect this tree is in decline and the honey fungus is playing a part in that. It would not be a surprise if the tree dies in the next couple of years. There are many similar trees in the area which are also dying off now.

Honey fungus is a really interesting species. The YouTube show 8 Out of 10 Bats had a nice sequence about a honey fungus in America that is one of the largest and oldest organisms in the world. Go to 17:35 in the video above for the clip.

Thanks for reading.