Clustered Bonnet

 

This time of year you are bound to come across a fungus or two. These toadstools are probably Clustered Bonnet (Mycena inclinata) growing in clusters on the rotting stump of an old oak by the Canal, about 3cm across and 5-10cm high. Another name for this mushroom is Oak-Stump Bonnet Cap, as it is usually found on decaying oak. Its spicy smell supposedly sets it apart from other bonnet mushrooms.

Other partially distinguishing features are the scalloped edge of the cap and the white woolly base of the stem.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust hosts a useful gallery of other fungi on its website.

Further information and images 

First Nature - Clustered Bonnet