Waxcap Time

Every autumn we look out for the attractive and highly coloured waxcaps (hygrocybe spp), spindle and coral fungi on the farm and at our local churchyards. Worth a search but harder to spot are the strange looking earthtounges.

These fungi are strongly associated with old grassland, church yards and lawns and are as distinctive a part of our undisturbed grassland as the wild flowers  of the summer

Here is a red hygrocybe species found at the Trust. waxcap hygrocybe

Below is the rare and amazing Violet Coral (Clavaria zollingeri) that can be seen at Penboyr Churchyard, a particularly good site for waxcaps and related fungi.

penboyr violet coralThe picture was taken by Isabel Macho a couple of years ago. We haven’t spotted the Violet Coral yet this year but will be back to check frequently. There are plenty of other fungi to be seen in Penboyr church yard at the moment, so if you are local why not pop up and have a look?