One of the most mysterious, important group of organisms in woodland are the fungi. The fruiting bodies of fungi pop up across the wood, often in autumn, often showing the classic mushroom shape, but have many other weird and wonderful forms.

Some of the wood's fungi are shown in pictures on the right of this page. If you want to know what they are, hover your mouse over the picture and a description will pop up.

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The mushrooms are (literally) just the tip of the iceberg. Almost all of the fungus lives underground or on and in the trees that make up the woodland. There are a huge number of fungi species in Britain (over 15,000) and most of the rare ones live only in ancient woodland.

Scientists are beginning to realise just how important fungi are to ecosystems.

 

Mycorrhizal fungi form a symbiotic relationship with trees. They protect the tree roots from infection, provide the tree with nutrients extracted from the soil and in return receive carbohydrates from the tree. The mycorrhizal fungi form a vast web in and under the tree. It has been estimated that if the mycorrhizal threads associated with a large oak were laid out end to end, they’d stretch 11,000 miles…

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The other type of fungi associated with woodland are the decomposing fungi. These break down tough matter like lignin; if it were not for fungi, leaf litter would build up and smother the woodland. The breaking down of deadwood creates food and homes for other wildlife. It is said that deadwood hosts more species than living and this is all due to the fungi. Without the huge variety of fungi, the woodland ecosystem would not function.

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Hob Hey Wood, like all ancient woodlands has a large, varied and unique range of fungal species living within it. Many of the fungi have weird names and many also have forms that diverge massively from the classic mushroom shape. The range of shapes, colours and even textures is amazing.

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Chicken of the woods is a large fungus that appears on dead wood. Its name originates with the texture of the mushroom; just like chicken. It is edible and makes a vegetarian alternative to chicken.

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A fungus associated with dead elder wood is the jelly ear fungus. This is a very descriptive name; it looks very ear-like and has a jelly-like texture. Another edible, but I’m not sure I’d fancy it myself…

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The witch’s hat is a type of mushroom in the waxcap family and, indeed, it feels very waxy to the touch. A glance at the photo to the right shows how it gets its name. Several of these unusual fungi were found in the 'new wood' near the north bridge.

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One of the most beautiful mushrooms in the wood is the velvet shank. This little mushroom has a beautiful orange cap and a dark velvety stem that brightens up a winter walk when found.

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Another fungus with an obvious name is the candlesnuff fungus. It lives on decaying wood and looks just like a freshly snuffed candle! These can be quite small so can take a bit of finding.

Another mushroom that is very difficult to find is the frosty bonnet. This is tiny. Extremely tiny, in fact, with a cap only a few millimetres across. A good look reveals a delicate stem and cap covered in shiny white dust, looking all the world like it's been sprinkled with icing sugar. A truly beautiful fungi that can only really be appreciated in a close-up photograph. Look for these in moss on the side of trees, particularly by the north bridge on alders.

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King Alfred’s cake fungus is a round, black fungus with a very burnt look. Its name originates from the story of King Alfred who, whilst hiding out from the Vikings, stayed with a peasant woman who asked him to look after her cakes. Apparently, he left them too long and they burnt. This fungus looks just like Alfred’s cakes would have done!

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We have a mushroom in the wood that is almost completely typical - mushroom shape and size. Except that it's purple! The amethyst deceiver is a stunningly beautiful mushroom that looks almost alien when found amongst the leaf litter. Several colonies of these were found by the main bridge.

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Another fungus with a myth attached is the dryad’s saddle. Dryads are wood nymphs and these large mushrooms (up to two feet across) were said to be used by the dryads as saddles or seats. 

 

Perhaps the most gorgeous mushroom in the wood also has a myth associated with it. The scarlet elf cup looks exactly what it sounds like: a cup-shaped mushroom which is a deep red colour. It lives on moss-covered dead branches and the contrast between the deep green moss and bright red mushroom is spectacular even on a dark February morning. These mushrooms are supposedly visited by wood elves at dawn who drink the dew collected in them overnight.

 

The final mushroom that we'll describe here needs no finding. It finds you... The stinkhorn, a very 'unusual' looking mushroom has a very strong odour that can be detected from far away. The rotting meat smell attracts flies which transfer the spores allowing the mushroom to spread. They're present in Hob Hey and once you've smelled one, you'll find them easily in future!

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There are loads of other weird fungi living in the wood and I am sure we’ll find more as time goes on to add to those species already found such as yellow club coral fungus; honey fungus; turkey tail fungus; and dead man’s fingers.

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If you spot an unusual fungus in the wood, why not report it on our Facebook page.