Mushrooms of the United Kingdom

Mushrooms of the UK

356 wild mushrooms and fungi of Britain and Northern Ireland with photos: 161 edible, 26 poisonous and 8 deadly. When each one fruits, what it looks like and what it can be confused with.

Popular searches:Porcini Chanterelle Field mushroom Death cap

Porcini · photo by MycoNote

Mushroom activity today12 November

100%Wales 100%West Midlands 96%London

Open the UK forecast

My region →Map of all 12 regions

In season now — November

What fruits in the UK this month. Double-check every species before you pick it.

All mushrooms in November →

Mushroom identification by photo

Found a mushroom and not sure what it is?

Photograph it and mark what you see. The site suggests similar species from the catalogue, and other foragers help you identify it. Free, no app needed.

1
Three photos —
cap, underside, stem with its base
2
Features —
what’s under the cap, ring, smell, trees
3
An answer —
the site’s suggestions and foragers’ votes

Identify by photo How it works

A photo is no reason to eat a mushroom. When in doubt, leave it out.

Latest finds from readers

All finds →

Mushroom forecast

How likely mushrooms are in each of the 12 regions, from rainfall and soil temperature. Tap a region to see its forecast.

0–30 low31–60 moderate61–80 high81–100 peak

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2022.

UK mushroom calendar

Choose a month to see which mushrooms fruit in the UK.

Swipe sideways →

JanuaryWinter FebruaryWinter MarchSpring AprilSpring MaySpring JuneSummer JulySummer AugustSummer SeptemberAutumn OctoberAutumn Novembernow DecemberWinter

In the woods now

Autumn: peak season

September and October are the richest months in Britain: about 330 of the species in our UK catalogue fruit in each of them. The ground is still warm after summer and autumn rain is regular, so most woodland mushrooms appear at once. In November the count drops to about 230, and the season winds down with the first hard frosts.

Edible wild mushrooms in the UK

The ones foragers pick most. Every card shows the lookalikes to rule out before you cook anything.

Poisonous mushrooms in the UK

8 species can kill, the death cap first. Poisoning: call 999 or 112 at once.

All 34 poisonous species →

Mushrooms in gardens and lawns

Identify a mushroom from your lawn

If a child or pet eats a lawn mushroom, call 999 or your vet.

Foraging in the UK

Is mushroom foraging legal in the UK?

Picking a few for your own table is usually fine where you have a right to be. Scotland, nature reserves and selling have their own rules.

Mushrooms of the New Forest

What grows in one of Britain’s richest fungus woods, and why picking there is not allowed.

Is mushroom foraging legal in the UK?

Picking a few for your own table is usually fine where you have a right to be. Scotland, nature reserves and selling have their own rules.

Mushrooms of the New Forest

What grows in one of Britain’s richest fungus woods, and why picking there is not allowed.

Questions from UK foragers

Is it legal to pick wild mushrooms in the UK?

Yes, for your own use in most places. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland picking wild mushrooms is not theft unless you pick to sell, and in Scotland the Outdoor Access Code allows picking for personal use. You still need a right to be on the land, many reserves ban picking, and four protected species may not be picked anywhere.

When is mushroom season in the UK?

The main season runs from late summer to the first hard frosts, with the peak in September and October. Spring has its own short season with St George’s mushroom and morels, and a few wood-loving species such as velvet shank fruit right through winter.

Which UK mushrooms are deadly?

8 species in our UK catalogue can kill: death cap, deadly webcap, funeral bell, fool's webcap, destroying angel, Lepiota helveola, deadly dapperling and deadly fibrecap. The death cap causes most deaths. Its poison works slowly, so people often feel better for a day before the liver fails.

Are the mushrooms on my lawn poisonous?

Some are. Fool’s funnel and ivory funnel grow in lawns and contain muscarine, and the yellow stainer looks like a field mushroom but upsets the stomach. Most lawn mushrooms are harmless to touch, but keep children and pets away from them until you know what they are.

What should I do if someone eats a wild mushroom?

If they have symptoms or you think the mushroom could be poisonous, call 999 or 112 at once and don’t wait for symptoms. Keep the rest of the mushroom or take a photo of it: it helps doctors decide on treatment. For a pet, call your vet.