Saffrondrop Bonnet

This is the delightful new common name given by the British Mycological Society to Mycena crocata, one of the specialities of our Chiltern beechwoods. It is a very distinctive member of the large Mycena group of fungi, with saffron/orange fluid exuding from any damage to the cap or stem. In fact, a broken stem can be used to write on a pale surface. The mycenas are tough little fungi and a range of different species can be found just protruding from the leaf litter well into the winter months.