Scarlet Cups

We stumbled across these striking looking fungus (left), sarcoscypha coccinea, otherwise known as scarlet cup, whilst walking in a local meadow. My daughter exclaimed that they look like jam tarts. Even though red usually symbolises danger in nature, apparently they're edible after cooking. I don't really fancy them though.

In fact, given the choice, I'd probably rather eat the mushroom on the right, which looks rather like a common field mushroom, unless someone told me it was called a death cap mushroom.

A verdict of accidental death was finally recorded yesterday after a Thai woman living in the Isle of Wight died in 2008 from eating death cap mushrooms.

You never can tell with mushrooms. Best only eat the supermarket variety, just in case.