They can be found all over Britain, in the most out-of-the-way places, often overlooked – but the variety of shape, texture and colour that you will find is amazing!

They are rich resource for me when designing and making my ceramic fungi.

This distinctive mushroom is the Fly Agaric, found from late summer until the first frosts of winter can be found in birch, pine and spruce woodland. The name comes from it’s use in olden days as natural pest control – bits of the mushroom chopped up in milk would attract and kill flies. It is poisonous if eaten.

… and here is one of my ceramic mushrooms, inspired by the colour and
patterning of the Fly Agaric.

One mushroom that is far tastier for people is the Morel mushroom, not often found in the wild, they grow in well-drained soil in copses, woodland and hedgerows. They are prized by chefs, especially in French cooking, for their earthy, nutty flavour but must always be cooked before eating as they are poisonous when raw.

I have used the distinctive ridges and cavities of the morel
to inspire this carved and pierced ceramic mushroom.

 The Shaggy Inkcap is also known as the Shaggy Mane or
Lawyer’s Wig. It can be found in open grassy fields, lawns, parks and roadside
verges. Its name hints at one use of the mushroom, you can make a smelly type
of ink from the crushed mushroom caps!

I took inspiration from the texture of the shaggy scales of
the inkcap to make this flat shaped ceramic mushroom …

As well as the upper surface of the mushroom, I also love the texture of the underside. Here are the gills of the common Field Mushroom which are the perfect detail to add to my flat ceramic mushrooms.