THE FIELD GUIDE · OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Terms of Use
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1. Welcome to Toadstool
Toadstool is a free UK fungi discovery and field-notebook service. Explore recorded observations, learn about woodland habitats and seasonal patterns, and keep your own private notes. Contact the operator at support@toadstool.info.
These terms apply when you use toadstool.info. Please use the service responsibly and respect the people, places and organisms behind every record.
2. Observations, not guarantees
We bring together third-party records; we do not independently identify specimens or verify their locations. A record describes an observation in the past, not a promise that fungi are present today. Tree and woodland associations are clues to habitat, not predictions of a find.
Community reviewed means an observation meets the source’s community-review criteria. It is not an identification guarantee. Review status unknown means comparable verification information was not supplied. Unconfirmed observations are optional and their suggested names may change.
3. Learn, photograph and observe safely
Toadstool is for exploration and education. It is not an edibility guide, a medical service or permission to collect. Never eat a fungus based on this website, a photograph or a map label. Some species have dangerous lookalikes.
4. Respect access, wildlife and local rules
A map marker or woodland boundary does not establish a public route, entrance or right of access. Check landowner permissions, local restrictions and the rules for protected places before visiting. Leave habitats undisturbed and take litter home.
You are responsible for checking the rules that apply to your location and the species concerned. Do not use the service for trespass, unlawful collection, possession or supply, commercial harvesting, or damage to protected species or habitats. Studying a species is not an endorsement of collecting or consuming it.
5. Sensitive locations
The current observation import excludes records flagged by iNaturalist as private or obscured, and GBIF records flagged with withheld information or data generalisation. We do not reconstruct hidden locations. Source metadata can be incomplete, so these checks are not a guarantee that every sensitive record is excluded.
Toadstool does not currently apply an additional species-specific location blur or publication delay. Please do not try to uncover obscured locations. Report a vulnerable site or record to support@toadstool.info, including its source link.
6. Sources and photographs
Observation data comes from GBIF and contributing datasets and from iNaturalist. Other sources include OpenStreetMap, the Forestry Commission, Natural England, Open-Meteo and Postcodes.io. Species guidance links to the Woodland Trust; satellite imagery is supplied by Esri and its credited contributors.
Third-party data and photographs remain subject to their original terms and licences, including any attribution and non-commercial restrictions. Follow the original record and credit links before reusing material. We do not claim ownership of contributors’ work.
Featured species photographs are illustrations, not evidence of a nearby sighting or a photograph of your own find. Decorative AI-generated artwork is identified in the site credits.
7. Your private field notebook
An account lets you save species or working names, dates, place descriptions, nearby trees and notes. Keep your login secure. Your notes are not published to other visitors or added to the public observation map.
You retain ownership of your notes and permit us to process them to provide the notebook. Do not submit unlawful material or other people’s private information without a legitimate reason.
Use Edit to correct a note, Archive to hide it from the active list, and Restore to bring it back. Archiving is not deletion. The export downloads the notes currently loaded in your notebook, which is limited to the latest 500 finds. For a complete data export, permanent deletion of entries or account deletion, email support@toadstool.info. There is currently no self-service permanent-delete control.
8. Fair use
Do not overload the service, bypass access controls, access another person’s notebook, or misrepresent observations as verified identifications or advice that fungi are safe to eat. Obtain bulk datasets from their original providers under the relevant licences. We may restrict access where necessary to address abuse or protect the service.
9. Corrections and concerns
For an incorrect name, credit, licence or sensitive location, contact support@toadstool.info with the record link and your concern. We will review reports and consider appropriate corrections or removal from Toadstool. Changes here do not change records held by the original provider. Source updates may take time to appear in cached results.
10. Availability and responsibility
Data sources and features can change or become unavailable. We cannot guarantee complete coverage, uninterrupted availability or the accuracy of third-party records. Use your own judgement and check the original source.
Nothing in these terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded, including liability for fraud or death or personal injury caused by negligence, or limits your statutory rights.
11. Updates and contact
We will update the date on this page when these terms change. Material changes will be explained on the site. Questions about the service or these terms can be sent to support@toadstool.info.