Baby Magpie
… but without wings. An emerging Magpie Inkcap mushroom (Coprinopsis picacea) is completely white. As it grows the cap is becoming dark with remnants of scales all over resembling magpie (hence its common name and in the scientific epithet ‘picacea’ derived from the Latin name for the Eurasian Magpie bird species - Pica pica) before ‘melting’ away in the process known as deliquescence, as all inkcap mushrooms love to do at the end of their live. In this young age it is very easily confused with the Shaggy Inkcap (Coprinus comatus) which is its edible relative and remains white when grow, whereas Magpie Inkcap is not and considered to be poisonous. I know that this was Magpie as there were plenty of adults around in different stage of decay and not looking too appetising. 😂Old arboretum. Westonbirt Arboretum, South Gloucestershire, England
Baby Magpie
… but without wings. An emerging Magpie Inkcap mushroom (Coprinopsis picacea) is completely white. As it grows the cap is becoming dark with remnants of scales all over resembling magpie (hence its common name and in the scientific epithet ‘picacea’ derived from the Latin name for the Eurasian Magpie bird species - Pica pica) before ‘melting’ away in the process known as deliquescence, as all inkcap mushrooms love to do at the end of their live. In this young age it is very easily confused with the Shaggy Inkcap (Coprinus comatus) which is its edible relative and remains white when grow, whereas Magpie Inkcap is not and considered to be poisonous. I know that this was Magpie as there were plenty of adults around in different stage of decay and not looking too appetising. 😂Old arboretum. Westonbirt Arboretum, South Gloucestershire, England