Sandy Stiltball Battarrea phalloides

The Sandy Stiltball (Battarrea phalloides) is a remarkable and unmistakable fungus, its spore-bearing head held aloft on a tall, shaggy stipe emerging from dry, sandy soil. One of Britain’s rarest fungi, it is associated with sandy, often disturbed ground, including old rabbit warrens, sandy roadsides, and the bases of old trees on light soils. In Britai,n it is largely confined to south-east England, and Suffolk – with its Sandlings heathland and light sandy soils – holds records of note. It is an unpredictable and sporadic fruiter, and its true population size is likely underestimated due to its rarity of appearance. Image: © amilan, iNaturalist.

Find out more: iNaturalist, Fungi of Great Britain and Ireland