National Trust Survey of Britain’s Waxcap mushrooms

06/11/2007 00:00:00 Snowy, scarlet, parrot and ballerina are all names of varieties of waxcap fungi found in Britain. These jewels of grassland normally appear in autumn, but the wet weather this year has meant that waxcaps have been recorded much earlier. The National Trust is inviting the public to take part in a mass survey to track down the unmistakable colours of these fascinating fungi. Throughout the autumn visitors to Trust gardens and estates are being asked to look out for the pinks, greens, purples and yellows of the waxcap and log their sightings on a special website, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/waxcaps. To help, handy identification guides are available at properties and to download from the website.

David Bullock, head of nature conservation at the Trust, says, ‘Although we suspect that Trust land is home to a great many waxcaps, we don’t have a good picture of where they are found. We are asking our visitors to be our eyes and seek out these grassland gems. All you need is a keen pair of eyes, a pen, paper and the ability to get online. You don’t need to be an expert, just enthusiastic.’ Lawns
From October to December the rainbow colours of the waxcap appear on tightly cropped lawns and old grassland where no fertiliser or soil improvers have been added. This makes National Trust lawns and estates the perfect place to find the fascinating fungi. With vivid colours – including the only pink fungi in Britain - the shiny tops of the waxcaps mean that they really stand out. More than 40 species of Waxcap
There are over 40 waxcaps in Britain but in recent years they have been facing a decline and some types are now considered under threat of extinction. Their natural habitat is being disturbed, developed, lost to agriculture or simply suffering from a lack of care. National Trust gardens and parks are becoming vital havens for these and other species of fungi.

David Bullock, goes on to say, ‘Fungi are mini recycling machines. Underground they are processing dead matter, leaves, animals and wood, producing vital nutrients which help trees and plants to grow. These toadstools may be quite small, but they are enormously important to our planet. Without them there would be piles of rubbish everywhere.’

The results from the survey will be used to find out where there are large concentrations of waxcaps on National Trust land. These areas will then be targeted for more in-depth surveys in autumn 2008 and for specialist fungi forays designed to encourage young naturalists to get to grips with the wonderful and mystical world of toadstools.

Throughout autumn 2007 there are fungi foray events at National Trust properties and many properties are taking part in the waxcap survey.Log onto the special waxcap webpage at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/waxcaps

The National Trust recommends that people do not pick or touch fungi in the wild as some are poisonous.