How to Identify Mushrooms & Other Fungi 🍄

Fungi are some of the most fascinating organisms in North Wales, but they can also be challenging at first. Thousands of species, subtle differences in shape, colour, and habitat, and the fleeting nature of many fruiting bodies make identification seem tricky. The good news is that with observation, patience, and a few simple tools, anyone can start recognising fungi and understanding their roles in the landscape.

Observing Key Features

When identifying a fungus, there are several field clues to record:

Cap, stem, and gills/pores: Shape, colour, size, texture, and any markings.
Spore print colour: Collecting a spore print on white or dark paper can confirm genus or species.
Odour and taste: Some fungi have distinctive smells (taste is for experienced recorders only).
Habitat and substrate: Note the type of tree, soil, grassland, dead wood, or mossy rock it is growing on. Habitat often narrows options faster than shape alone.
Season and condition: Many species only fruit in certain months or after rain. Some change appearance rapidly, so documenting wet and dry forms can help.

Taking photographs from multiple angles and noting all these details is the key to accurate identification.

Field Identification vs Microscopy

Many fungi can be identified confidently in the field. Large and distinctive species such as Fly Agarics (Amanita muscaria), bracket fungi like Fomes fomentarius, or colourful waxcaps are usually straightforward.

Other species, particularly small crusts, cup fungi, or members of large genera like Cortinarius or Russula, may require closer examination under a microscope, or spore analysis, to confirm. Field guides and experience can often get you very close, but some species remain challenging without specialist tools.

Patience and Observation

Fungi reward careful observation and repeated visits. Many species appear suddenly after rainfall and disappear quickly. Returning to the same site at different times of the year, noting subtle changes in colour, texture, or microhabitat, will improve identification and deepen your understanding of fungal ecology.

Above all, take your time. Observe closely, photograph thoroughly, and record habitat details.

Over time, you’ll start recognising species more intuitively and spotting the hidden diversity in woods, grasslands, mountains, and coastal habitats.

Recording Fungi in North Wales

North Wales is one of the richest areas in the UK for fungi, yet it remains under-recorded in many places. Every woodland, dune system, churchyard, upland heath and roadside verge holds species that may never have been documented properly. Recording fungi is not just about adding names to a list — it is about building a picture of how our landscapes are changing, how habitats are managed, and how species respond to climate, pollution and land use.

In North Wales, the main port of call for biological records is Cofnod, the Local Environmental Records Centre responsible for collating and safeguarding wildlife data across the region. If you find fungi in the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd or Anglesey, your records should go to Cofnod. The easiest way to do this is via their Online Recording System (ORS), which allows you to submit records directly, upload photographs, and provide habitat details.

Why Recording Fungi Matters

Fungi are often overlooked in conservation, yet they are fundamental to healthy ecosystems. Many species form mycorrhizal partnerships with trees, helping them absorb nutrients and water. Others break down wood and leaf litter, recycling nutrients back into the soil. Some are indicators of ancient woodland, undisturbed grassland, or long ecological continuity.

Recording fungi helps to:

Identify important sites for conservation
Detect rare and declining species
Inform woodland management decisions
Monitor the spread of non-native species
Track changes linked to climate shifts

In North Wales, we have internationally important habitats — from Atlantic oakwoods and dune slacks to upland heath and calcareous grasslands. These habitats support specialist fungi that may occur in very few other parts of Britain. Without records, their presence is invisible to planners and conservation bodies.

Submitting Good Records

When you record fungi, detail is everything. A record is far more valuable when it includes:

A precise location (grid reference or accurate map pin)
The habitat (ancient oak woodland, improved pasture, dune slack, etc.)
The substrate (soil, dead oak log, birch stump, mossy bank, dung, etc.)
The associated trees (especially for mycorrhizal species)
The date
Clear photographs

Photographs should ideally show the cap, stem, gills or pores, and where possible the base of the stem. Habitat shots are also incredibly useful. Even common species become important when properly documented — distribution data is built on volume and consistency.

Verification in North East Wales

As the fungi verifier for Denbighshire and Flintshire, part of my role is to assess submitted records for North East Wales. This involves checking identifications, reviewing photographs, considering habitat and seasonality, and sometimes requesting additional information.

Good photographs and detailed notes make a huge difference. Some fungi cannot be confirmed from a single top-down image. Showing the underside, the stem base, and noting key features such as smell, bruising reactions or spore colour can turn a tentative record into a confirmed one.

Verification is not about gatekeeping — it is about ensuring the data entering the system is reliable and useful for science and conservation.

Building a Picture of North Wales

The more people record, the clearer the picture becomes. Patterns begin to emerge: strongholds for waxcaps, new sites for rare boletes, changes in fruiting times, or previously overlooked wood-decay specialists in unexpected places.

North Wales has an extraordinary fungal diversity, but we are still discovering what we have. By submitting records to Cofnod via the ORS, you are directly contributing to our understanding of this hidden kingdom.

Every record counts — whether it is a rare species in ancient woodland or a common inkcap in a car park. Over time, those individual records form the foundation for protecting the fungi of North Wales for generations to come.