Hygrocybe ceracea, commonly known as the Butter Waxcap, is a small, brightly coloured waxcap mushroom found in unimproved grasslands, meadows, and mossy areas. It is characterised by its smooth, waxy, yellow to orange-yellow cap and slender stem, both of which often appear slightly greasy or moist. This species is typically encountered in late summer to autumn and is noted for its vivid, butter-like colouring and delicate stature.

Cap small, convex to flat and sometimes slightly depressed at the centre, smooth and waxy in texture. It is bright yellow to orange-yellow, often with a greasy or slightly sticky surface when fresh. The flesh is thin, soft, and yellowish. Gills adnate to narrowly attached, fairly distant, and waxy in texture. They are pale yellow, becoming deeper yellow with age. Stem slender, smooth, and more or less equal, sometimes slightly tapering at the base. It is yellow throughout, often with a greasy appearance, and lacks a ring. Spore print white.

Microscopic Features: The spores are oblong to cylindrical, often constricted, smooth, measuring 6.5–8 × 3–4 μm, and inamyloid.

Hygrocybe ceracea on the First Nature web site.