Recording · 29 Sep 26 · 7 min read

How to Improve Your Observations: Photos and Details That Get Fungi Identified

A hand holding a bolete next to a smartphone showing a photo of it

The difference between an observation that’s identified within the hour and one that sits unconfirmed for months often comes down to a few extra photos and a couple of simple notes. Here’s how to give every record you make the very best chance.

Fungi are notoriously tricky. Many species can only be separated by features you won’t see from above: the colour of the gills, the shape of the stem base, a smell, a colour change when the flesh is cut. Anyone trying to identify your observation can only work with what you give them, and a single photo of a cap from above is, more often than not, a dead end.

The good news? You don’t need expensive kit or expert knowledge. You just need to know what to look for. Think of yourself as a detective gathering evidence at a scene. The more clues you collect, the easier the case is to crack.

Part One: The Photographs

You can add up to seven photos to each observation, so use them! Each photo should show something the others don’t. Here’s a running order that works for almost any mushroom or toadstool.

The essential shots

The fungus in its habitat

Before you touch anything, photograph the fungus exactly where it’s growing, with some of its surroundings: the leaf litter, the moss, the log, the nearby trees. Habitat is a clue in its own right, and many fungi only ever grow with particular trees.

The cap from above

Show the colour, the texture and any scales, cracks, slime or patterns. Try to get the whole cap sharp.

The side profile

A side view shows the overall shape, how the cap sits on the stem and whether there’s a ring. Get down low, to the fungus’s eye level.

The underside

Gills, pores, spines or ridges? What colour are they, and how do they meet the stem? For many groups this is the single most important photo you can take.

The stem and its base

Gently dig the whole fungus out rather than snapping it off, so the base can be seen. A swollen base, a sack-like volva or a rooting stem can be the key to an identification, and sometimes to safety too.

Something for scale

Include a hand, a coin, a key or a ruler, so the size is obvious. A 3 cm mushroom and a 15 cm mushroom can look identical in a photo.

Anything unusual

Cut it in half to show the flesh. Photograph any bruising, colour change or milk. Add a spore print if you’ve taken one. If something caught your eye, it’s worth a photo.

Suillellus luridus, cap from above — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Suillellus luridus, pores on the underside — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Suillellus luridus, growing in woodland leaf litter — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Habitat, cap and pores of the Lurid Bolete, Suillellus luridus. Each photo adds a different piece of evidence

Suillellus luridus, red net pattern on the stem — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Suillellus luridus, blue bruising on the stem — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

The red net pattern on the stem (left) and the instant blue bruising where the flesh is handled (right) are both key features of this bolete. Neither is visible from above

Getting the technical side right

Modern phones take superb photos of fungi, as long as you give them a helping hand.

Avoid harsh flash. Flash washes out colours and creates glare on shiny caps. Natural light is best. On a dark woodland floor, steady your phone on the ground, a log or a stick.
Shade strong sunlight. Dappled sunshine creates bright hotspots and deep shadows that hide detail. Use your body or a hand to cast a gentle, even shade.
Tap to focus. Tap the fungus on your screen so the camera focuses on it, not the leaves behind it. Then check the photo before you move on.
Don’t get too close. Most phones blur when they’re very close. Step back a little and crop later if you need to.
Keep colours honest. Some species are separated by subtle shades. Avoid filters and heavy editing, and photograph in daylight if you can.

Agaricus sylvaticus, cut in half showing reddening flesh — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Suillellus queletii, held in a hand for scale — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Cut a specimen in half to show the flesh, like this reddening Agaricus sylvaticus (left), and put a hand in shot for scale (right)

How to take a spore print

Cut off the stem and place the cap gills-down on a piece of paper, ideally half white and half black so any colour shows up. Cover it with a bowl or glass to keep out draughts and leave it for a few hours or overnight. The colour of the spore deposit, from white through pink and ochre to brown and black, narrows down the options enormously. Photograph it in daylight and add it to your observation.

Part Two: The Details

Photos tell most of the story, but not all of it. The information you add alongside them fills in everything a camera can’t capture. Here’s what’s worth noting while you’re still standing next to the fungus.

What to record

Date and location. Be as accurate as you can. If the site is sensitive, set the location privacy to obscured or private rather than entering a vague location.
Habitat. Woodland, grassland, heathland or dunes? Broadleaf or conifer?
Substrate. Was it growing on soil, dead wood, a living tree, dung, moss or even another fungus?
Nearby trees. Many fungi partner with specific trees. Note what’s within a few metres, especially birch, oak, beech, pine and willow.
Smell. Sniff the gills and a freshly broken piece of flesh. Aniseed, flour, radish, coconut and even crab are genuine clues.
Texture. Is the cap slimy, sticky, dry or velvety? Is the stem tough and fibrous, or does it snap like chalk?
Colour changes. Does the flesh bruise, stain or change colour when cut or handled? Does it produce milk?
Spore print colour. If you’ve taken one, record the colour.
How it was growing. Alone, scattered, in a tight cluster or in a ring?

Use the notes field for anything that doesn’t fit anywhere else. Notes like “strong smell of aniseed when cut” or “white sack-like cup at the stem base” can make an Identifier’s day.

Be honest about how sure you are

When you add your identification, choose the certainty that genuinely reflects your confidence. There’s no shame in “possible”, or in recording something to genus level only. An honest “I think it’s a bonnet” with great photos is far more useful than a confident but wrong species name. Other recorders can always take it further.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Things that hold observations back

Photographing only the top of the cap
Snapping the stem and leaving the base in the ground
Blurry, dark or heavily filtered photos
Only taking photos at home, hours later, when the fungus has dried out or changed colour
Leaving the habitat, substrate and nearby trees blank
Picking fungi you don’t need to, especially rare or protected species
Tasting fungi to identify them, unless you’re experienced and certain there’s no risk of a deadly look-alike

Amanita strobiliformis, dug out to show the swollen stem base — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Amanita excelsa, whole fruitbody with its stem base — By L. Terry – CC BY 4.0

Dig carefully and you’ll reveal the stem base. In Amanita strobiliformis (left) and Amanita excelsa (right), the shape of the base is an important identification feature

The Payoff

Good observations get identified faster. They’re more likely to be confirmed, more likely to reach Research Grade on iNaturalist, and far more useful to the people who rely on our data (if you’ve ever wondered why that matters, read why recording fungi matters). They also make you a better mycologist. The habit of looking closely, from every angle, is exactly how experts are made.

And if you’d like to become an Identifier yourself one day, well-documented records are the perfect place to start. Take a look at our post on how to become an Identifier to find out more.

So next time you find something interesting, slow down. Take seven photos, not one. Look, sniff, note and record. Your future self, and every Identifier on Field Mycologist, will thank you.

Published by L. Terry