Dec 31, 2019
Kew Gardens, London, UK, October 2019
Yellow stainers (Agaricus xanthodermus)
I’ve rarely seen these poisonous (though not deadly) mushrooms look so phallic, and have never seen two bodies emerging from conjoined stipes like this! I only discovered it when I cleared the leaves away from their base - so perhaps it is more common than I think, but goes unseen.
These mushrooms are superficially similar to the edible and widely forged field mushroom, but are easily spotted as poisonous lookalikes by way of the yellow staining that occurs when they are cut or bruised or, often, when even lightly handled.