May 2021 saw publication of the third volume of Geoffrey Kibby’s Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain & Europe (Kibby 2021), a series described in our review pages as ‘the best field guide to fungi ever made’ (BW 31: 311). Here the author provides an introduction to the identification of one of the more recognisable genera, Stropharia, members of which will be adding a splash of colour to flowerbeds, meadows and woodlands as this issue drops through your letterbox.
When the mushroom season is at its height, usually in late autumn, mysterious and rather lurid blue-green fungi will start to appear in hedgerows, in woodlands and on woodchip mulch in parks and gardens. These belong to the genus Stropharia, commonly called roundheads or verdigris agarics depending on the species concerned and which books you refer to.