The witches hat is a fairly common mushroom on the BC coast and can be found in most areas, it is also found over much of North America and Europe as well. Witches hat mushrooms have long been considered to be saprobic on the dead roots of grasses and other grassland plants, but it is now considered likely that there is some kind of mutual relationship between waxcaps and mosses. Eventually, the whole stem blackens from the top downwards.
The stem is yellow with a scarlet tinge color near the cap but remaining much paler at the base, the stem is full, rather than hollow, and the stem flesh is initially white but quickly turns black when cut. The stem is up to 8 mm in diameter and up to 8 cm tall. The gills are at first a pale lemon yellow, becoming more orange and then blackening as the rest of the mushroom changes color. Unlike the Red Mushroom, they do not spawn in Witch Huts. If grown on Mycelium or Podzol, Brown Mushrooms can grow/spread in any light level. They used to be one of the Items spawned inside the Nether Reactor when it was activated. Even when blackened the caps of these fungi remain quite shiny. Tapping a Brown Mushroom with Bone Meal causes a Giant Brown Mushroom to appear in its place. The caps rarely open out fully and after fruiting, they soon turn black, at first in patches but eventually they blacken all over. The surface is slimy in damp weather but in dry weather, it becomes dry and silky. The cap is from 4 to 7 cm in diameter varying from an initial light orange to orange-red, often paler at the edge. Witches caps continue to drop spores even when entirely blackened. If you touch the cap, gills, or stem they soon turn black. The beauty of these little mushrooms is fleeting, as they will soon turn black all over.
The shapes of the caps are sometimes conical while some become almost flat. Sometimes you will see all of these colors in a group and occasionally on a single mushroom. Witch’s Hats can be red, orange, yellow, and jet black. This mushroom is quite beautiful when seen in bright sunshine, these conical waxcap fungi can look just as good in wet weather, as they stand out brightly against the green background of their grassy habitats. A witches cauldron, which does actually look a lot like a real witches' cauldron, was spotted in Glassville.
I think that the fall mushrooms are the most colorful and would be perfect for any evil witchs brew. A strange-looking mushroom has been found in New Brunswick for only the second time. This witch enjoys photographing the colorful fungi that pops up after a good rain. No witches brew is complete without a mushroom or two and down here in south Louisiana, we have plenty. The witch’s cap can be seen in lines along roadsides where the grass is well shaded, moist, and mossy. Mushroom Photographs and Witches Brew Recipes. The Witches Hat Mushroom is commonly known as the witches cap, they are also called blackening waxcap mushrooms, this is one of several species whose caps turn black with age. Witches Hat Mushroom, Vancouver Island, BC, Photo By Robert Logan