September is the month the British woodland floor comes alive. After the summer heat breaks and the first damp spells arrive, fungi push up through the leaf litter in astonishing numbers, and for foragers it is the most exciting window of the year. However, mushroom foraging requires care. Alongside the delicious edible species sit a handful of genuinely dangerous lookalikes, so learning to identify what you find matters as much as the harvest itself.

Below we look at five of the best edible mushrooms to search for in September, three toxic species you must learn to recognise on sight, and the identification habits that keep foraging safe. If you would rather learn from experts in the field, Woodlore runs a dedicated Autumn Fungi Forager course with the mycologist Neville Kilkenny in a historic East Sussex deer park.

Why September Is the Best Month for Wild Mushrooms

Most of Britain's best-loved edible fungi sprout between late August and early November, and September often produces the widest variety in a single month. Warm, damp conditions trigger a flush, and the range of habitats you can explore, means one afternoon can reveal several different species.

Five Edible Mushrooms to Look For in September

1. Cep (Boletus edulis)

The cep, also known as porcini or penny bun, is the mushroom most foragers dream of finding. It has a plump brown cap, a thicker club-like stem and a network of fine white pores rather than gills. Ceps grow in association with oak, beech and pine, and they are among the easiest quality mushrooms to identify because no poisonous British species looks convincingly similar. Slice them thinly and dry them for winter, or fry them fresh in butter.

2. Chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius)

Golden yellow and smelling faintly of apricots, the chanterelle is unmistakable once you have seen one. It grows on mossy woodland floors, often under oak or beech, and grows from early summer right through to late autumn. Chanterelles have false gills that run down the stem in blunt folds rather than sharp blades, which is the quickest way to separate them from lookalikes. They are superb in risottos and creamy sauces.

3. Hedgehog Fungus (Hydnum repandum)

If you are new to mushroom foraging, the hedgehog fungus is the friendliest place to start. Instead of gills it has soft spines beneath a pale, slightly wavy cap, and nothing toxic in Britain looks anything like it. It grows under broadleaf and conifer trees from late summer through autumn, with a firm, nutty flesh.

4. Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)

Chicken of the woods is a bright orange bracket fungus that grows on the trunks of oak and cherry trees, often high up but sometimes low enough to reach. It appears from late summer into autumn and is famous for its meaty texture, which works well in stews and curries. One caution is that is best eaten young, when the flesh is tender, and some people find it causes mild stomach upset, so try a small piece first.

5. Puffball (Lycoperdon and Calvatia species)

Giant puffballs can reach the size of a football and are impossible to miss on grassy verges and woodland edges. Simply cut the specimen open, and if the flesh is pure white and firm all the way through it is edible; if it has started to yellow it is past its best. Slice and fry it like a steak.

Three Toxic Mushrooms to Learn on Sight

1. Death Cap (Amanita phalloides)

The death cap is responsible for the vast majority of fatal mushroom poisonings in Britain, and it grows in the same oak and beech woods where you will find ceps. Its cap is usually a drab olive-green, though it can be paler, and it has white gills, a white ring on the stem and a cup-like base. Symptoms of poisoning appear hours after eating, by which time the damage to the liver and kidneys is well under way. Identification alone is the only defence.

2. Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa)

The destroying angel is the pure white counterpart to the death cap and is just as lethal. It appears in late summer and autumn in mixed woodland, often under birch or oak, and is easily mistaken for an edible white mushroom by the unwary. Look for the white ring on the stem, the loose sac at the base and the smooth white cap that peels easily. Never pick white mushrooms you cannot identify with absolute certainty.

3. False Morel (Gyromitra esculenta)

The false morel has a wrinkled, brain-like cap that some people confuse with the prized true morel of spring. It contains a toxin called gyromitrin, which can cause severe illness and has been linked to fatalities, particularly when the mushrooms are eaten raw or undercooked. In the UK it appears from spring into early summer, though specimens have been recorded later, and its dark reddish-brown, lobed cap distinguishes it from the honeycomb pattern of a true morel. If you are not completely sure, do not risk it.

The Fungi Foraging Safety Rules That Matter

Safe mushroom foraging comes down to a handful of habits worth taking seriously.

1.       Never eat anything you cannot identify with total confidence. Cross-check every specimen against at least two reliable sources.

2.       When in doubt, leave it out. An empty basket is a better day out than a hospital visit.

3.       Cut the mushroom at the base and keep the whole specimen intact, because the stem base and sac are key identification features.

4.       Start with a small amount the first time you eat any species and always cook wild mushrooms thoroughly.

5.       Forage sustainably by only taking what you need, leaving plenty for wildlife, and never picking protected species.

6.       Avoid collecting beside busy roads, on treated farmland or in areas sprayed with chemicals.

The most valuable resource for a new forager is a good identification guide. Wild Food UK's mushroom guide and the Woodland Trust's guide to UK mushrooms are free to use and cover the species you will meet in British woods. For a deeper library, the bushcraft books and field guides in the Woodlore shop include titles on fungi and wild food.

Learn to Forage with Woodlore

The best way to build confidence is to go out with someone who knows what they are looking at. Woodlore's Autumn Fungi Forager course takes place in late October in private woodland near Tunbridge Wells, guided by mycologist Neville Kilkenny. Over two days you will learn to identify the fungi of the estate, study key identification points around the evening fire and, when the group finds tasty varieties, prepare them together to eat. A copy of Paul Nichol's identification guide is included.

Before you head out, a basket or mesh bag, a small knife and a guide are all you need. The knife keeps stem bases intact, and the basket lets spores scatter as you walk. The Woodlore range of berry pickers and foraging accessories covers the basics, and the camping cookware collection has the pans and stoves you will want when the day's finds reach the kitchen.