# Velvet Foot (*flammulina velutipes*)

The Velvet Foot mushroom has a soft, fuzzy texture and bright orange color that makes it look like it's wearing a cozy sweater! It's often found growing on fallen logs and can add a pop of color to the forest floor.

- **Category:** [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/fungi)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 2
- **Habitat:** Velvet Foot mushrooms typically live in forests, growing on decaying wood and logs.
- **Also known as:** Velvet Cap

![Velvet Foot](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Flammulina_velutipes_04.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Eric Steinert, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flammulina_velutipes_04.jpg)

## Appearance

The Velvet Foot has a shiny, sticky cap, typically golden-orange to brownish-yellow, often darker in the center. Its slender stem is velvety and dark brown towards the base, becoming paler near the cap. It frequently grows in eye-catching clusters on dead or dying wood.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Fungi
- **Phylum:** Basidiomycota
- **Class:** Agaricomycetes
- **Order:** Agaricales
- **Family:** Physalacriaceae
- **Genus:** Flammulina

## Interesting facts

- Its cap can feel surprisingly slimy when wet, almost like a snail has visited it!
- This mushroom contains natural antifreeze, allowing it to survive even when frozen solid!
- Velvet Foot plays an important role turning old, dead wood into fresh, new soil.
- When cultivated, this mushroom is known as Enokitake, a popular noodle-like food!

## Special abilities

- **Cold Conqueror:** Velvet Foot can grow even in freezing temperatures because of special adaptations that help them find food when other fungi can't.
- **Woody Warrior:** Velvet Foot has powerful enzymes that break down tough dead wood, which helps them unlock nutrients hidden deep within logs.
- **Glow Giver:** Some Velvet Foot mushrooms can glow in the dark (bioluminescent), which might help them attract insects to spread their spores.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 3-10 cm
- **Edible:** edible
- **Size:** 2-10 cm
- **Growth Substrate:** wood
- **Season:** Winter
- **Spore Color:** White

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** [American Beech](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-beech) (*Fagus grandifolia*) — Decomposes dead wood
- **Eats:** [Paper Birch](https://www.snappit.app/explore/paper-birch) (*Betula papyrifera*) — Feeds on dead trees
- **Eats:** A Rove Beetle (*Oxypoda haemorrhoa*) — Larvae and adults feed on fungi

## Traits

- [Solitary](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/solitary): Solitary animals live alone for most of their lives, only interacting with others for mating or parental care.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always ask an adult before touching or eating any mushrooms.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Velvet Foot?

Compare the cap shape, the underside, the stem and base, and whether the fungus grows on wood or soil. Some fungi have gills, others pores or teeth. A cap seen only from above often hides the most useful features. Mushroom Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Velvet Foot?

3-10 cm

### Is Velvet Foot edible?

edible

### How big is Velvet Foot?

2-10 cm

### Where is Velvet Foot usually found?

Velvet Foot mushrooms typically live in forests, growing on decaying wood and logs.

### What does Velvet Foot grow on?

wood

### When is Velvet Foot in season?

Winter

### What color are Velvet Foot spores?

White

## Where to spot

- [Copicut Woods](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/copicut-woods) — Massachusetts, US · Nature Reserve
- [Mount Philo State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mount-philo-state-park) — Vermont, US · State Park
- [Hall Street Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hall-street-park) — Michigan, US · Park

[View all places to see Velvet Foot](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/velvet-foot)

## More Fungi

- [Field Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/field-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Button Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/button-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Portobello Mushroom](https://www.snappit.app/explore/portobello-mushroom) (*Agaricus*)
- [Shiitake](https://www.snappit.app/explore/shiitake) (*Lentinula*)

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Source: [Velvet Foot: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/velvet-foot)