Coprinus disseminatus, small white mushrooms with striped caps growing in groups in the Monza Park — Coprinus disseminatus

Mushrooms of the Monza Park

The Monza Park boasts vast green lawns, elegant tree-lined avenues, majestic canopies, self-centred squirrels. I enjoyed looking further — or rather, looking beneath the thick foliage and behind the abandoned bark… and I discovered a world. Mushrooms of every colour that bring autumn to life like sprites. Discreet, shy observers of the park and of those who visit it.

My photographic project set out to reverse the roles and make them, the mushrooms, the object of my gaze.

Millions of species are estimated to exist, yet mushrooms remain in the undergrowth of public interest.

Many species could be lost without us even noticing. Very few conservation efforts, despite their fundamental role in the biological cycle of life.

This project aims to show the biodiversity that surrounds us even in the city.

These are only a tiny fraction of what is present today in the Monza Park, a city park set within one of the most urbanised areas of Italy. It is a work in progress, meant to grow richer year by year.

On the identification of mushrooms an important premise is worth making: recognising mushrooms precisely is a truly complex and laborious matter; sometimes (and not rarely) it is difficult if not impossible to reach a certain determination from a photograph alone, even from technically well-made photographs that show all the features of the subject. Sometimes the differences between two or more closely related species rest on subtle characters, in many cases not even detectable from the image — and at times not even with the mushroom in hand is it possible to give a certain name. There are species complexes within which entities gravitate that are macroscopically little or not at all distinguishable, so one must resort to microscopic examination, and in extreme cases certainty is not reachable even that way: one must resort to genetic sequencing.
Fabio Mauri, Vittadini Mycological Group, Monza

Mycena inclinata backlit in golden light at sunset, small mushrooms with slender stems on wood — Mycena inclinata

Mycena haematopus, reddish-brown mushrooms with thin stems growing on a decaying log — Mycena haematopus

Coprinus disseminatus, a white mushroom with a grooved cap emerging among green moss — Coprinus disseminatus

Coprinus disseminatus seen from above, a white bell-shaped cap traced by fine grooves — Coprinus disseminatus

A colony of Coprinus disseminatus, numerous small white mushrooms clustered on rotting wood — Coprinus disseminatus

Coprinus micaceus, ochre mushrooms with oval caps emerging among the undergrowth grass — Coprinus micaceus

Coprinus micaceus growing on bark, honey-coloured bell-shaped caps — Coprinus micaceus

Probable Psathyrella, a mushroom with a white cap and yellowish stem with small specimens beside it — Psathyrella

Mutinus elegans, a red horn-shaped fungus fading to brown toward the tip — Mutinus elegans

Lycoperdon perlatum, two white puffballs with globular bodies covered in tiny warts — Lycoperdon perlatum, puffball

Lepista sordida in violet tones, emerging among dry leaves and ivy in the undergrowth — Lepista sordida

A small white mushroom, probably of the genus Mycena, growing on the bark of a trunk — Possibly the Mycena genus

Probable Psathyrella candolleana, a white cap with a brown central spot and a pale stem — Psathyrella candolleana?

A small unidentified mushroom in translucent brownish-violet tones, sprouting in the moss — Unidentified species

Leratiomyces ceres, a mushroom with a bright red cap that stands out on the forest floor — Leratiomyces ceres

Leratiomyces ceres, a bright red cap emerging among the fallen leaves on the ground — Leratiomyces ceres

Pioppino (Cyclocybe aegerita), a brown mushroom with a cap marked by concentric veining — Cyclocybe aegerita

Lepista sordida in a delicate, soft violet colour, growing in the autumn undergrowth — Lepista sordida

Armillaria mellea, an adult honey fungus with a honey-brown cap, a mushroom that grows in clusters on trees — Armillaria mellea, adult honey fungus

A mushroom of the genus Clitocybe with a cream trumpet-shaped cap, typical of the undergrowth — Clitocybe genus

Coprinellus domesticus growing on a rotting log, oval ochre-brown caps — Coprinellus domesticus

Agaricus moelleri in a very old stage, dark cap and gills now blackened — Agaricus moelleri, very old specimen

Ganoderma carnosum, a woody fungus with a glossy brown cap with red and orange hues — Ganoderma carnosum

Ganoderma lucidum, a bracket fungus with a lacquered surface growing on bark — Ganoderma lucidum

Gymnopus dryophilus, mushrooms with an uneven light-brown cap in the undergrowth — Gymnopus dryophilus

A large group of Gymnopus erythropus with warm-brown caps growing side by side — Gymnopus erythropus

Gymnopus fusipes with a reddish cap and a fleshy stem tapering toward the base — Gymnopus fusipes

Hypholoma fasciculare, sulphur tuft with sulphur-yellow caps gathered in dense clusters — Hypholoma fasciculare, sulphur tuft

Hypholoma fasciculare in young form, small sulphur tufts with compact yellow caps — Hypholoma fasciculare, sulphur tuft, young form

A small white mushroom of uncertain attribution, sprouting in the undergrowth of the Monza Park — Uncertain attribution

An unidentified mushroom with a yellow-orange cap with a marked depression at the centre — Attribution not possible

Probable Leucoagaricus leucothites, a fairly large white mushroom with a ring on the stem — Leucoagaricus leucothites

Leucoagaricus leucothites, a white cap and a stem with a prominent membranous ring — Leucoagaricus leucothites

Chlorophyllum, probably rhacodes, a young specimen with the cap still closed like an egg — Chlorophyllum (Macrolepiota), possibly rhacodes

Macrolepiota, a parasol mushroom with an open, umbrella-shaped cap on a long slender stem — Macrolepiota, possibly mastoidea

Mycena galericulata, greyish-brown mushrooms with slender stems growing on an old log — Mycena galericulata

Psathyrella candolleana, an autumn mushroom with a pale, fragile cap in the damp undergrowth — Psathyrella candolleana

Auricularia mesenterica, young, a gelatinous bracket fungus with a wavy brown surface — Auricularia mesenterica, young

Probable Ramaria stricta, a branched coral-like yellowish fungus known by the common name coral fungus — Possibly Ramaria stricta, coral fungus

Volvopluteus gloiocephalus in young form, a sticky grey cap on a slender white stem — Volvopluteus gloiocephalus

Agaricus moelleri, young, a brown compact cap before fully opening — Agaricus moelleri, young form

Agaricus moelleri, mature, an open cap with brown scales and dark mature gills — Agaricus moelleri, mature form

Probable Scleroderma, a fungus with a rounded body and a yellow surface in the soil — Possibly the Scleroderma genus

Echinoderma of unclear species, a pale cap covered in small pointed scales — Echinoderma, species unclear

Equipment

This project was created with an Olympus E-M1 Mark III and the 25mm f/1.2 lens. This lens is not specific to macro photography, and the magnifications are not as extreme as those achievable with the Zuiko 60mm f/2.8. Nevertheless, the 25mm f/1.2 delivers a bokeh that is unique among professional lenses. To make these photographs I relied on the focus-stacking technique. This project was selected and published by the specialist magazine Micro4/3 Italia. If you are interested in wildlife photography you might take a look at Animalia, the soul of animals.