FUNGUS

VELVET SHANK

Slimy-capped it may be, but there’s no denying that clusters of the vibrantly orange Velvet Shank would brighten up any woodland walk. The fruits of this fungus – sometimes known as Winter Fungus – flourish during the coldest months. They typically adorn rotting stumps and logs of broadleafed trees, where individual caps thrust against one another, distorting their shape. They are edible (be confident of the identification should you wish to try), and, indeed, are grown commercially in Japan, where they are known as enoki.