Wax Caps look like the kind of mushrooms which lurked in the backgrounds of fairy tale illustrations, appearing as they do in a bewildering array of vibrant colours and hues. Sometimes they even look artificial. They're a common sight in the autumn forest on the exposed short grass lawns and around the woodland edges. This example 'I think' is a Hygrocybe miniata or maybe a Scarlet Hood (Hygrocybe coccinea), though I think the former is most probable. Of the extensive Wax Cap family some are edible, some are not, and some are classified as 'edibility unknown'; even the edible group varies, for example H. coccinea 'edible good' whereas H. miniata 'edible not recommended'. Any mushroom group like Hygrocybe which are easily misidentified through subtle colour changes and weathering are most definitely off my wild food menu. Groovy things to see, mind.
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