Haringey, London, UK, March 2019
Split gill (schizophyllum commune)
These tiny, gorgeous fungi are one of the most wide-spread, being found on every continent except antarctica. They are small (not often bigger than an inch in diameter), fuzzy bodies, with intricate folds on the underside giving the appearance of forking gills. As the mushroom dries out, they will often split along these ‘gills’, giving a feathered appearance to the cap.
Despite how common they are, this is my first time finding such perfect specimens to photograph the underside. From above, they are unassuming - easily mistaken for an oysterling or other small crust fungi.
These fungi are actually edible, though rarely found in large enough quantities in Europe to be worth collecting.