Species details
Bleeding fairy helmet
Mycena haematopus
Inedible
Photo: Atsushi Nakajima · CC BY 4.0 · Photo source · License
Description
A small reddish-brown bonnet that exudes dark blood-red juice when the stem or cap is damaged.
Identification features
Cap about 0.5–3 cm wide, bell- to helmet-shaped, reddish-brown. The slender reddish-brown stem bleeds dark red juice when broken.
Identification checklist
Key clues are the reddish-brown bonnet on wood and dark blood-red juice when injured.
How to separate similar species
Mycena crocata has more orange-red juice and often more yellow tones. Mycena inclinata lacks milky juice.
Habitat
Grows in clusters on decaying wood in various woodland types from spring to autumn.
Fruiting period
May, June, July, August, September, October
Similar species
- Saffrondrop bonnet (Mycena crocata)
- Clustered bonnet (Mycena inclinata)
- Mycena sanguinolenta