Pink Waxcaps. Credit Andy Karran.
You have likely heard about our 10 Vulnerable Species work https://www.gwentwildlife.org/wildlife/ten-vulnerable-species-recovery, and maybe read our previous blog https://www.gwentwildlife.org/blog/andy-karran/starter-10.
Thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery we are able to focus our conservation efforts on these 10 Vulnerable Species.
Pink Waxcap. Credit Andy Karran.
This blog features one of those 10 Species, the Pink “Ballerina” Waxcap and focuses in general on Grassland Fungi. As with all our 10 species, whilst important in their own right, they are representing a whole host of species, that live within a certain vulnerable habitat. By looking after the Pink Waxcap, then all grassland fungi will be conserved, as will the flower rich grassland they live in, all the bees and butterflies that flourish there, and the larger animals that prey upon these. In short whole ecosystems will be preserved/enhanced.
So what are grassland fungi, the obvious answer is fungi growing within grassland. It is however a bit more nuanced than this, it refers to a suite of fungi that includes a vast array of shapes, sizes and colours, including interesting shaped clubs, spindles and earth-tongues, as well as the more conventionally shaped, better known and colourful waxcaps. These species are particularly important as they are great indicator species for an ecologically healthy grassland. More scientifically speaking the fungi we are talking about are CHEGD fungi.
CHEGD stands for the first letter of the 5 key fungi groups assessed in the standard, recognised way to assess the value of Grassland Fungi sites:
The best time to look for Grassland Fungi is the autumn (September to November), with October the peak month, although a few can appear at any time depending on local conditions and weather. The first frosts do tend to kill them off however, or rather cause the fruiting bodies to break down, the fungi mycelium are still safe thriving in the soil.
Wales is renowned as just about the best place in the world for these fungi, and South Wales particularly so, this means we are very lucky, but also have a special responsibility for their protection. They are very vulnerable to the use of chemicals, ploughing of permanent grassland, development pressure, or even sites being just “neglected” so that other vegetation swamps the fungi. Well-meaning tree planting schemes can also be a real issue, as the fungi are only visible for a few weeks a year so may get overlooked when assessing whether a site is suitable for tree planting.
White Spindles. Credit Andy Karran.
Scarlet Waxcap. Credit Andy Karran.
Parrot Waxcap. Credit Andy Karran.
Meadow Coral. Credit Andy Karran.
Golden Waxcap. Credit Any Karran.
Earth Tongue fungus species - identifying the actual species is difficult with this group. Credit Andy Karran.
To avoid accidental damage to valuable grassland fungi sites and to improve identification of species, much work has been done with e(nvironmental)DNA. This means that sites can be surveyed at any time of year, by collecting soil samples and analysing which species are present in a lab. We collected soil from 30 sites in 2022 thanks to LEADER funding from Monmouthshire County Council and with the expert eDNA analysis provided by Aberystwyth University discovered some fantastically diverse sites across Gwent, which are now recognised and better protected. Nothing however beats actually seeing the fungi fruiting bodies in all their glory!
If you would like to experience this special display then you could try some of our reserves:
Springdale Farm nr. Usk - https://www.gwentwildlife.org/nature-reserves/springdale-farm
New Grove Meadows in Trellech - https://www.gwentwildlife.org/nature-reserves/new-grove-meadows
Pentwyn Farm in Penallt - https://www.gwentwildlife.org/nature-reserves/pentwyn-farm
However there is plenty of opportunity to find your own sites, flowery fields you have walked through in the summer may hold fungi in the autumn, our uplands can be fantastic areas to look, as can Churchyards. If you find any good sites then we would love to know about them please (akarran@gwentwildlife.org), and if you are confident of your identification then please send records to SEWBReC https://www.sewbrec.org.uk/recording, the Pink “Ballerina” Waxcaps are hopefully pretty unmistakable.
We are running a guided grassland fungi event at New Grove Meadows on the 15th October if you would like to join us, if this very popular event isn’t already fully booked! https://www.gwentwildlife.org/events
Happy fungi hunting
