Fungi & Slime Moulds

Fungi are a separate kingdom of living things, different from animals and plants. They feed on organic material, reproduce by means of spores and present themselves in a variety of beautiful shapes, sizes and colours. Slime moulds are a group of single-celled organisms that live separately and come together to reproduce. They are not part of the fungi kingdom but their fruiting bodies often suggest they are related. All these images were taken in, or close to, Stratford sub Castle.

+ View more 'Nature images in one of these photo albums: Flora & Fauna (photo album 1) + Fauna (photo album 2)
+ Flora (photo album 3) + Flora with a View + Devenish Nature Reserve

'Turkey Tail' fungus Trametes versicolor. Its shape resembles that of a a wild turkey's tail. By Five Rivers Centre 19 March 2024 RW	Morel type fungi Morel type fungi (related to stinkhorns) have appeared by the bus stop outside the school. May 2023. Image: Kerry O'Connor	Morel type fungi Morel type fungi (related to stinkhorns) have appeared by the bus stop outside the school. May 2023. Image: Kerry O'Connor
Orange Slime Mould Orange Slime Mould Cryptococcus macerans, felled Heale Estate tree, Beech Walk roadside. April 2021 Kerry O'Connor	Lawyer's Wig, Shaggy Ink Cap, Coprinus comatus Edible at the stage before it turns to ink but can interact with alcohol. Coprinus means living on dung but in fact C comatus doesn’t. Comatus means hairy, the scales curl up like a lawyer’s wig. The ink can be used as such. Avon Farm November 2020 Image: Kerry O'Connor	Chicken of the Woods Laetiporis sulphureus - between river and track from Mill Bridge to Avon Farm June 2020 Kerry O'Connor
Ganoderma applanatum Ganoderma applanatum, along the boardwalk in Avon Valley Nature reserve. This rots the heartwood of trees and is known as the artist’s bracket as sepia images can be drawn on the white underside, scratching revealing the brown beneath. August 2019 Image: Kerry O'Connor	Dryad's saddle fungus Common Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum) inspecting a Dryad's saddle (Polyporus squamosus) fungus on western slopes of Old Sarum Aug 2019. Both are edible! Image: Kerry O'Connor	Coprinus cinereus, an ink cap Coprinus cinereus, an ink cap that grows on dung. Pastures beneath Devizes Rd. Aug 2019. Inedible but even if it was edible, would you? Image: Kerry O'Connor
Bolbitius titubans Bolbitius titibans means arising from well manured cow pasture and then leaning over. Its older name Bolbitius vitellinus refers to the yellow of the young caps as do common names Egg Yolk mushroom or Yellow Field cap. These open, flatten and fade to brown over several hours. Photographed in the fields below the Devizes Road 20/10/17 by Kerry O'Connor.	Calvatia gigantea (giant puffball) Image Kerry O'Connor, September 2017	Giant Puffball Appears every autumn in the same spot in the same field across the river down Mill Lane. It is edible. Image: Kerry O'Connor 22/8/18
Pleurotus cornucopiae on the wooded path to Little Manor. Edible. Image - Kerry O'Connor	Judas' ear fungus Walls may have ears but so does a felled Elder along the footpath from Mill Lane bridge to Little Manor Farm. Auricularia auricula-judae, or Judas’ ear or Jelly ear is an edible jelly fungus. Photo taken Christmas 2018, the ruler is 30 cm long. Image: Kerry O'Connor	Judas' ear fungus Auricularia auricula-judae, commonly known as Judas' Ear, jelly ear, wood ear, or by a number of other common names, is a species of edible fungus. The Devenish. 1 Jan 2019 Image: Rosemary Winson
Bracket Fungus Ganoderma applanatum. The Devenish August 2018 Image: Rosemary Winson	Scarlet Elf Cap Sarcoscypha austriaca. On the steps up to the ridge at The Devenish 16 March 2018 Image: Rosemary Winson

Fungi & Slime Moulds

'Turkey Tail' fungus

Trametes versicolor. Its shape resembles that of a a wild turkey's tail. By Five Rivers Centre 19 March 2024 RW

Morel type fungi

Morel type fungi (related to stinkhorns) have appeared by the bus stop outside the school. May 2023. Image: Kerry O'Connor

Morel type fungi

Morel type fungi (related to stinkhorns) have appeared by the bus stop outside the school. May 2023. Image: Kerry O'Connor

Orange Slime Mould

Orange Slime Mould Cryptococcus macerans, felled Heale Estate tree, Beech Walk roadside. April 2021 Kerry O'Connor

Lawyer's Wig, Shaggy Ink Cap, Coprinus comatus

Edible at the stage before it turns to ink but can interact with alcohol. Coprinus means living on dung but in fact C comatus doesn’t. Comatus means hairy, the scales curl up like a lawyer’s wig. The ink can be used as such. Avon Farm November 2020 Image: Kerry O'Connor

Chicken of the Woods

Laetiporis sulphureus - between river and track from Mill Bridge to Avon Farm June 2020 Kerry O'Connor

Ganoderma applanatum

Ganoderma applanatum, along the boardwalk in Avon Valley Nature reserve. This rots the heartwood of trees and is known as the artist’s bracket as sepia images can be drawn on the white underside, scratching revealing the brown beneath. August 2019 Image: Kerry O'Connor

Dryad's saddle fungus

Common Garden Snail (Cornu aspersum) inspecting a Dryad's saddle (Polyporus squamosus) fungus on western slopes of Old Sarum Aug 2019. Both are edible! Image: Kerry O'Connor

Coprinus cinereus, an ink cap

Coprinus cinereus, an ink cap that grows on dung. Pastures beneath Devizes Rd. Aug 2019. Inedible but even if it was edible, would you? Image: Kerry O'Connor

Bolbitius titubans

Calvatia gigantea (giant puffball)

Image Kerry O'Connor, September 2017

Giant Puffball

Appears every autumn in the same spot in the same field across the river down Mill Lane. It is edible. Image: Kerry O'Connor 22/8/18

Pleurotus cornucopiae

on the wooded path to Little Manor. Edible. Image - Kerry O'Connor

Judas' ear fungus

Walls may have ears but so does a felled Elder along the footpath from Mill Lane bridge to Little Manor Farm. Auricularia auricula-judae, or Judas’ ear or Jelly ear is an edible jelly fungus. Photo taken Christmas 2018, the ruler is 30 cm long. Image: Kerry O'Connor

Judas' ear fungus

Auricularia auricula-judae, commonly known as Judas' Ear, jelly ear, wood ear, or by a number of other common names, is a species of edible fungus. The Devenish. 1 Jan 2019 Image: Rosemary Winson

Bracket Fungus

Ganoderma applanatum. The Devenish August 2018 Image: Rosemary Winson

Scarlet Elf Cap

Sarcoscypha austriaca. On the steps up to the ridge at The Devenish 16 March 2018 Image: Rosemary Winson