Wildlife Spotting

A little coprinoid species whose gills do not turn to black ink; it's even possible to obtain a spore print, rather than a gooey black mass of wet paper (see the illustration below). Coprinellus disseminatus typically fruits in clusters near the bases of stumps, sometimes in astounding numbers. Its cap is initially white, but soon begins to turn grayish brown, with a brownish center. Even though the gills do not turn to ink (the official term in Mycologese is "deliquesce"), Coprinellus disseminatus is still easily recognized as a coprinoid mushroom by its cap shape and grayish black gills. It is an extremely fragile mushroom, and the caps quickly crumble when handled.