If I had to pick my favourite group of mushrooms (it's not a decision that comes up often, I know) - then it would be the lovely Waxcaps (the Hygrocybes). They're usually brightly coloured, they have a strange texture, and they've beautifully wide-spaced gills. And not only do they have this rather other-worldly look, some species are ecological indicators of long-undisturbed habitats, and are being recognised as useful highlighters of natural spots worth conserving. So note where you find them.
There are plenty of resources on the internet to help you with identification (it seems waxcaps have many fans):
The
UKEconet project has an extensive guide, which includes photos of other grassland species.
The
Somerset Environmental Records Centre has a key to Somerset species which might be useful.
And Aberystwyth University has a whole 'waxcap website', which includes an
online key (sadly with no pictures).
No comments :
Post a Comment