Shaggy Ink Caps, also known as Shaggy Caps or Lawyer’s Wigs (Coprinus comatus). These are a commonly occurring fungus in the UK and are edible. They are best eaten before the conical enclosed cap of the newly emerged fungus has opened up. The cap expands from below. The gills change colour progressively from white, to pink, then black, prior to auto-digesting (they seem to turn to black ink that falls away from the aging cap. These specimens were among many clusters that were growing in the grass around the base of a tree at Kingston Maurward near Dorchester in Dorset, 15 October 2021.
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I wouldn’t dare eat them, even if they are eddible, just in case!
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I didn’t know they were also called Lawyer’s Wigs – what a great name! Lovely photos, thank you.
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I love the look of these little fungi – I almost felt I should say , creatures!
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Thanks, Claudia.
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Thank you, Amanda.
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Same here, Emma. I wouldn’t take the risk. But expert foragers say that they have a delicate taste.
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Really love the inkcap fungi
Angela
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I once bought a book on mushrooms but it seemed that quite a few of the edible ones looked a bit like a posionous one so I never risked it.
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You are quite right and very wise. Even with the best books, many fungi look alike to to an amateur, and it is not worth the possible risk of eating something that has not been identified by an experienced person. The only wild and foraged fungus I have eaten was collected by a friend who knew about such things – it was a giant puffball. I seem to recall that the taste was rather bland and disappointing even when fried with onions and bacon.
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I had a friend who picked his won and very ill afterwards. I decided that it wasn’t worth the risk.
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One of my favourite fungi! They appear so suddenly, and have such varied shapes.
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In the states we call these Shaggy Manes (same Latin name, Coprinus comatus). I’ve eaten them happily with no bad reactions. When you saute them in butter, they do throw off a lot of water, but this inconvenience is worth the fun of eating them.
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I have always been very cautious about eating any wild fungi because of potential poisoning. But the ecological balance is so precarious these days that I prefer leaving all wild things untouched. The days of foraging in UK are long gone, The natural world is disappearing too fast.
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