Entoloma are a genus of fungi which are commonly referred to as the “pinkgills”, though this description would initially be misleading for obvious reasons in the case of the striking blue New Zealand species, Entoloma hochstetteri. The name hochstetteri is in reference to a German-Austrian geologist and naturalist called Ferdinand von Hochstetter after whom it was named. You might see this name crop up elsewhere, especially in other species names where it is almost certainly in reference to the same person; the carnivorous snail called Powelliphanta hochstetteri (nice and easy to pronounce!) is another New Zealand example.

While it doesn’t have a common English name, the Māori of New Zealand called this species “werewere-kokako” because of its similarity in colour to the beautiful endemic (meaning it is found here and nowhere else) bird species, the kōkako. Its striking appearance has meant it has even appeared on both the currency and stamps of New Zealand; here’s hoping the reference to stamps does not dissuade you from reading on…

All mushrooms are types of fungi, but not all fungi are mushrooms! Generally speaking we can think of mushrooms as those conspicuous above ground parts of a fungus that produces spores, acting in a very similar way to a flower of a plant; the mushroom is the reproductive organ of many fungi. When trying to identify a species of fungi, many mycologists, the people that study fungi, will take a spore print. This essentially involves removing the cap and leaving it on some paper long enough for the spores contained within the gills to fall down onto the paper. These spore prints provide clues as to the identity of the species, either under a microscope through their shape and size, or simply through their visible colour, which in the case of the blue E. hochstetteri is where the pink comes in. Give it a go next time you see a fresh mushroom; it’s as low tech as it gets, and you will be amazed at how many spores fall overnight.