Fungi on Tiptree Heath
Edible and Poisonious Fungi
Penny Buns, Bloodstained Brackets and Shaggy Parasols are just some of the fungi that grow on the Heath.
In 2009 Ian Rose from Colchester Natural History Society led a fungi foray, and the Heath Hunters had their own fungi hunt.
The Heath Hunters have a distinct advantage in sighting fungi, as they are two feet closer to the ground than adults! They found over 50 fly agarics (the Noddy mushrooms which are red with white crumble spots), in the open area near the Memory Tree.
Fungi are the fruits of underground plants and the roots send threads to the soil surface where they burst into fruit when they reach air. They are very short lived and the edible ones should be eaten within 24 hours of appearing as grubs and worms will probably enter them by then. The fungi forays dont damage the fungi as its only the fruits are picked.
There are many species of fungi on the Heath and while some are edible, many are not and therefore none should be picked without expert advice.
And as the saying goes: All fungi are edible... some only once.