Fungi Friday 🍄

Amberley Downs, West Sussex, 11th November 2023

In November I headed up onto the South Downs in the Arun Valley. Chalk grassland fungi are some of the most spectacular and rare, so it was a good chance to see something not present in the lowland woods.

There was plenty of moisture in the area, with the Arun flooding the landscape.

I haven’t managed to identify most of the species I encountered on this walk. The specimen above was some agaricus-like mushroom, but in the early stages of its development.

Below is a load of photos of some mushrooms that I think are the same species, and which I have made no progress in identifying:

They have a waxcappy appearance (gummy, translucent – my own description!) but I don’t think they are in that group.

I don’t think this man was looking for shrooms.

There was a small area of woodland (which I think is ancient because it has bluebell and ‘town-hall clock’) along the South Downs Way. I spotted this cluster of stump puffball on a piece of fallen wood.

Further along the SDW I noticed these very large puffballs. I expect these are pestle puffballs due to their size.

Here’s a better look – too big for a common puffball.

Thanks for reading.