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You don’t need to travel far to find fungi. Some of Britain’s most fascinating species could be growing on the tree outside your front door, in the local park, or tucked into a shady corner of your own garden. Let’s go and find them.
This UK Fungus Day, we’re asking you to take a closer look at the wild world hiding right on your doorstep.
Grab a coat, head outside, and see how many of these species you can spot. Don’t forget to snap a photo and tag us, we’d love to see what you find.
Urban areas are often overlooked when it comes to wildlife, but fungi have a habit of popping up in the most unexpected places.
Look for dead or dying wood and you may well find Turkey Tail Trametes versicolor, a multicoloured bracket fungus that can grow up to 10 cm across, or roughly the size of a side plate. Its tough, leathery caps grow in a semicircular fan with a thin wavy margin, and concentric rings running from beige to black usually finish with a pale cream edge.
On the same log, keep an eye out for Candlesnuff Fungus Xylaria hypoxylon. Growing up to 6 cm tall, about the length of your little finger, it looks exactly like a burnt candle wick, black at the base and powdery white towards the tip. Sometimes it stays simple in shape, other times it branches out like tiny antlers.
And if you find yourself near a churchyard or an unmown patch of grass, look down for the Blackening Waxcap Hygrocybe conica. Its cap stays distinctly conical even as it ages, starting out in shades of orange and yellow before slowly turning black with age and upon bruising, a strange transformation to watch unfold through autumn.
Even the most familiar corners of your neighbourhood can reveal something new.
Jelly Ear Auricularia auricula-judae, is aptly named. Its brownish red to pale pink purple fruiting body is smooth but undulating, with folds and wrinkles that really do resemble an ear. It’s most often found on Elder, living or dead, though it can turn up on other deciduous wood too.
Head to an oak tree and you might be lucky enough to find Chicken of the Woods Laetiporus sulphureus, a bracket fungus made up of several thick, overlapping brackets that can reach 40 cm across, about the size of a large dinner plate. Fan shaped and fleshy, its yellow surface pales with age, and the texture is genuinely reminiscent of cooked chicken.
Watch for the Shaggy Inkcap Coprinus comatus, standing tall and white in grasslands (and woodlands). It starts out as an elongated egg shape before opening into a bell, its upturned scales giving it a shaggy look. As it matures, the black margin curls upward and the gills slowly melt into an inky substance, a strange and wonderful process if you catch it at the right time.
And of course, the most colourful fungi of all – the wonderful waxcaps! From the bright purple of Violet Coral Clavaria zollingeri, to the vibrant red of Scarlet Waxcap Hygrocybe coccinea – they can be easy to spot and spectacular to see up close!
If you are thinking of going on a grassland fungi hunt – why not take part in our annual Waxcap Watch? You don’t need to be a mycologist to get started, just a phone! Find out everything you need to know to get started with Waxcap Watch here.
Fungi are often called the forgotten kingdom, neither plant nor animal, and endlessly overlooked. But they play an extraordinary role in our ecosystems, breaking down dead wood, supporting trees and providing food and shelter for wildlife.
By learning to spot the fungi on your own doorstep, you’re helping to build a fuller picture of where they live and thrive. So this UK Fungus Day, take a walk, look a little closer, and let us know what you discover.
Our Senior Conservation Officer for Fungi, Aileen Baird, knows this feeling well. Last October, a flash of pink among the fallen leaves led her to a Wrinkled Peach fungus, a species now classified as Vulnerable to Extinction. Moments like these are a reminder of just how much is still out there to find, and how much we stand to lose without urgent action.
Share your finds with us on social media and tag Plantlife, and if you’d like to help us protect species like the Wrinkled Peach for future generations, you can give a gift to fungi today.
Donate to our appeal and help protect vulnerable species, conserve the habitats they depend on and strengthen the ecosystems that support us all.
This is a pivotal moment for fungal conservation. The decisions we make now will determine what we discover, protect and pass on to future generations.
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