s
Paul Ardron confirmed it as clitocybe geotropa, which is a late-season species and always showy.
He had also seen some in Graves Park quite recently, but notes that they are always nice to find.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIts common name is the ‘trooping funnel mushroom’ and it is a spectacular species with long, tall stems, or stipes.
Being one of the few large mushrooms able to persist through mild frosts, specimens can be found throughput late autumn and well into December.
Since this is such an obvious fungus, it has acquired a number of common names which, according to Pat O’Reilly, author of Fascinated by Fungi, include giant funnel, which generally applies to
an even bigger mushroom, leucopaxillus giganteus.
It is also known as monk’s head and, apparently in Scotland, the rickstone funnel-cap.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdIt is described as a good, edible mushroom, though not among the best.
When young and fresh it can be fried with onions or used in other mushroom dishes.
However, there are similar poisonous species, so perhaps best to avoid.
Prof Ian D Rotherham, a researcher, writer and broadcaster on wildlife and environmental issues, is contactable at [email protected]
Follow his Walk on the Wildside blog at ukeconet.org
Talking about hedgehogs, he says…
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHedgehogs love piles of twiggy rubbish under which they can nest or in winter, hibernate.
So, when rewilding your garden, it is worth using cuttings of woody shrubs and the like to form low, dry mounds which can be covered with green herbaceous material over the top.
You can buy a pre-made ‘hedgehog house’, but the brash pile is cheaper and equally or more tempting for would-be residents.
A message from the Editor
In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.