[sarah (OP)]

Can anyone identify, please, these mushrooms / toadstools which appeared as a large clump in my garden (in Cambridgeshire) recently.

 [ Invalid Attachment ]


Thanks

Sarah

[neilep]

Hi Sarah,

Well, I've been wracking my brains trying to search for something that looks the same but alas, I've found nowt !....don't eat them of course, and lets hope a passing fungi expert passes by and answers !.....sorry I could not be of great help but at least I had a good old search for ya !

[blakestyger]

How to eat fungi and stay alive - buy them!

Or it could be  [xx(].

[Don_1]

There are a vast number of possibilities here.

Ideally you need to photograph the fungi in it's natural live state (unpicked) and at varying stages of growth (new growth, closed cup, opening cup, open cup). Identify it's habitat (e.g. deciduous woodland, coniferous woodland, meadow). Also it's cup top view and underside and it's stalk need to be studied.

I suggest you go to Wild About Britain or First Nature to try to identify this from the pictures there.
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/pictures/showgallery.php/cat/8
http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/id_guide/

But I would suggest that even if you think that you have identified it from one of these sites, you should refer to a Mycologist for absolute surety if need be.

[Bored chemist]

How to eat fungi and stay alive - buy them!

Or it could be  [xx(].

Since I don't like mushrooms anyay I will hold off eating them until someone has DNA typed them for me.

[Karen W.]

There are a vast number of possibilities here.

Ideally you need to photograph the fungi in it's natural live state (unpicked) and at varying stages of growth (new growth, closed cup, opening cup, open cup). Identify it's habitat (e.g. deciduous woodland, coniferous woodland, meadow). Also it's cup top view and underside and it's stalk need to be studied.

I suggest you go to Wild About Britain or First Nature to try to identify this from the pictures there.
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/pictures/showgallery.php/cat/8
http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/id_guide/

But I would suggest that even if you think that you have identified it from one of these sites, you should refer to a Mycologist for absolute surety if need be.

Those are terrific mushroom sites.. Thank you DON!

[sarah (OP)]

I'm not planning to eat them (especially as we don't know what they are).  I moved them as I didn't want my 2 year old daughter to eat them either!  Sarah   

[Don_1]

You should try to erradicate these from your garden.

Pick them as soon as they appear so they don't have a chance to set spores and improve the drainage of your soil with sand.

[wannabe]

You should try to erradicate these from your garden.

Pick them as soon as they appear so they don't have a chance to set spores and improve the drainage of your soil with sand.

Hasn't eradicating nature's goodies gotten us into much of the present fix of losing biodiversity??

[Don_1]

Eradicating these fungi from the odd garden or so where children may pick and eat them hardly constitutes 'mass deforestation'.

It is always best to check gardens in which children are playing for toxic plants and fungi. Remove all fungi, to be on the safe side, by improving soil drainage and opening up the garden to sunlight. Plants, shrubs and trees should be checked for toxicity. I am not suggesting that you cut down that ancient Oak, but be aware while it is dropping acorns, they can be attractive to young children and try to avoid the Laburnum tree, it's seeds are highly toxic. Aim to decorate your garden with nice safe plants, like Fuchsia, Chicory, Nasturtium. These can be safely eaten, but still warn children not to eat leaves, berries and flowers from the garden.

[wannabe]

Point well taken, didn't consider the highly urbanized environment(s) where most humans hang out nowadays!
My childhood environment bordered on the natural world, full of every toxic and 'safe' species of flora & fauna. safekeeping was accomplished thru education and we were allowed greater range of exploration in conjunction with having been educated to what was 'safe' and what was to be avoided. And therefore, the backyard was mostly sandbox & paving stone.