A while ago I wrote a general over view of fungi and how amazing they are. Out on my walks I am always on the look-out for them and would like to share some of them with you, on an individual basis.
I am not an expert, just someone who loves mushrooms, taking their picture and then looking up information about them. I try to match my pictures with those from online sources and books, however sometimes this is not easy, as nature does not produce identical specimens. If I have mis-named any that follow, please feel free to correct me, as I love to learn.
Personally I never pick any for eating, hopefully one day I will have the chance to go on one of the many fungi foraging walks available, with a qualified forager.
WOOD BLEWIT (Lepista (Clitocybe) nuda)
On a recent walk I found this young specimen;
From above:
From below:
Can be found in woodland, grassland, hedgerows and gardens, from September to December. Each mushroom can grow to a height of 10 cm (4 in), with a width of 12 cm (5 in). Its aroma is sweet and almost fragrant, in a pungent sort of way.
If you take the head off and leave it on a sheet of white paper overnight, the spore print that will be left on the paper should be off-white to pale pink, elongated with tiny spines.
Although this species is edible, extreme caution is necessary as some other species look similar, but they usually have an unpleasant smell and their spore print is rusty brown.
Possible magical uses would be for protection, defence, grounding, stability, safety.
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