Spore print

The fingerprint

Every mushroom drops spores, and the colour of that drop — white, pink, brown, black — is one of the most reliable clues to its identity. Taking a print is the single best thing a beginner can learn.

How to take one

1  cut the cap from the stem
2  set it gill-side down on paper
3  cover with a bowl, wait 4–12 hours
4  lift the cap, read the print

Why it saves you

White spores versus brown spores splits the mushroom world clean in half, and it costs you nothing but a night and a sheet of paper.