Thank you to village resident & dog walker, Brian Wing who recognised & photographed this fungus, Geastrum triplex, more commonly known as the collared earthstar, while walking up Common Water Lane. Geo means earth and astrum means star. The species name triplex, which means ‘having three layers,’ refers to the way the ‘star’ arms of the outer layer crack when they peel back, making it look like the spore-sac is sitting on a dish.
You’re most likely to see one in woods with deciduous, hardwood trees, especially those with lots of leaf litter. They like woods with beech on chalky soils in the south. They can be found under coniferous trees or even on sand dunes, in scrub and along roadside hedgerows, especially on sloping ground.
Even though they’re not poisonous, they don’t taste good. However, Earthstars were used medicinally by the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The Native American Blackfoot Confederacy called collared earthstars ka-ka-toos – meaning ‘fallen stars‘ – and believed them to be indicators of supernatural events. To read more, click HERE.
