Thanks Fungus Ken . Yes the world of fungi is a very complicated . Even the simplist of id's have proved to be impossible just by view. Isnt it about time fungi all had a seperate colour , size , shape and smell to make it easy for amateurs like me :-)
With fungi, most of the common ID guides only cover a fraction of the species and many species can't be identified with certainty without microscopic details. Anyone involved with identifying fungi soon realises it can be a frustrating experience, even those who have been doing it for a long time!
There seems to be a dearth of good field guides at the moment, although one or two which may prove useful are currently in preparation but not due for publication for a year or two yet.
As a starting point I'd definitely recommend Mushrooms by Roger Phillips. The book has a good coverage of species, the photos show the important characters, and the identifications have been checked by experienced mycologists.
But the best thing to do is to find your local group and get out on some fungus forays with more experienced people.
hello fungus Ken, great photos. i love fungi but fond studying some of them frustrating as i look in my id book and cant find it!
i know its my lack of nohow with fungi but really, there are loads i cant identify - can you give any tips or possibly recommend a good idiots proof book i could buy?
