Top 20 Most Common Mushrooms in Santander

With an appearance similar to a crusty potato, the common earthball blooms from acidic soils, including compacted paths on the forest floor. It matures to a yellowish tinge and is found across the northern hemisphere. It is a close cousin to bolete mushrooms but is considered to be poisonous and is never eaten.

The common greenshield lichen is a familiar species in temperate forests around the world. It can be found growing on rock outcroppings and trees in a wide variety of habitats. Individuals can grow to be quite large and may be gregarious, forming large mats or sheets on suitable surfaces. Like other lichens, the common greenshield lichen will shrivel and harden when moisture is scarce.

Peniophora quercina produces resupinate fruit bodies which vary in appearance depending on whether they are wet or dry. They are up to 0.5 mm (0.020 in) thick, and form irregular patches that sometimes measure several centimetres across. Initially, the species forms small, disc-shaped fruit bodies through holes in bark, but these expand and merge to form the irregular patches. When fresh, the surface is reminiscent of jelly or wax, and can be smooth or warty, varying in colour from a dull blue to lilac. Initially, they are firmly attached to the wood on which they are growing, but as they dry, the edges roll inwards and reveal the dark brown or black underside. The dry specimens have a crusty and slightly fissured surface, and, in colour, are a bright pink or grey, tinted with lilac. There is a relatively thick layer of gelatinous flesh. Apart from a brown layer close to the wood, the flesh is hyaline. The species has no distinctive odour or taste, and is inedible.

This toxic mushroom may be found growing in landscaping near pine trees or in hardwood-conifer forests. It appears in temperate zones around the northern hemisphere during summer and fall. The gemmed amanita is poisonous and can cause muscle tremors and gastric upset if consumed.

Witches' butter (Tremella mesenterica) has an irregularly-shaped fruitbody that can be found growing on dead hardwood branches. It has a global distribution, being found in both temperate and tropical forests. Usually yellow in color, its hues may range from subdued lemon to bright canary.

In Northern Asia and Europe, fly agaric grows under trees near the winter solstice and is collected for ritual use tied to the season. Its characteristic shape and coloring are still ubiquitous in many European fairy tale illustrations and Christmas traditions. It is highly toxic.

Blushing bracket fungi grow in tiers on dead and dying willows, and on other broadleaf trees with less frequency. They are among the few fungi to fruit during winter, providing visual interest to the landscape with their pink and beige surfaces that can at times “blush” to a dark red.

This large, tough shelf fungus can be found attached to birch, beech, and sycamore trees. It gets its common name, tinder fungus, from the fact that it burns quite slowly and can thus be used effectively for lighting fires. Dried pieces can also be a useful desiccant. A piece of this fungus was found in the possession of Otzi the Iceman, indicating that its usefulness has been known for millenia.