The King of Waxcaps is back

#25 for the season here and probably the last one I will find is a great finale. The Splendid Waxcap (Hygrocybe splendidissima) is both rare and stunning to look at. The colour depth and vividness of the red cap is matched by an amazing contorted stipe that is both red and yellow. The gills are a deep pinkish red with an orange margin. At a distance it might be confused with either of the other large red waxcaps (the Scarlet and the Crimson Waxcaps) but close up it is in a class of its own.