Autumn can be a little dull and lacking in colour, but if you look a little closer, in the right places, there is still beauty to be found. Autumn is the season for ‘waxcap’ fungi: bright, jewel-like mushrooms, which can be waxy, wet or even gloopy to touch. They have wonderful common names such as parrot waxcap, splendid waxcap, scarlet waxcap and ballerina waxcap and they sometimes smell quite pleasant, such as the honey waxcap and cedarwood waxcap.
They are rare fungi, as they are sensitive to change, and are generally only found in grassland that has never been ploughed or fertilised. With help from our local ecological data centre (NEYEDC) we have been surveying these special grasslands in October and November to find and record important waxcap sites in the National Landscape.
The fungi survey season tends to end with the first frosts but if you have spotted waxcaps anywhere in the National Landscape this year please do send us an email and we will keep a list of sites to look at next autumn. Email [email protected]
