We found this very fine toadstool, which I think is the summer bolete Boletus reticulatus, near a poplar on the grass verge near Van Mildert college in Durham city today. Remarkably, although it's a mature specimen it appears to be completely unscathed by slugs, which often feed on toadstools well before they reach this stage of maturity.
Field guides describe the way the top of the cap of the summer bolete breaks up into scales as it expands - exactly as this specimen is doing.
The summer bolete tends to be the first Boletus species to appear each year - perhaps it's a sign that this will be a good autumn for fungal forays............
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