Pink Ballerinas cavorting in the grass
If there are pink ballerinas on your lawn they could be one of only two things: 1. Actual ballerinas, dressed in pink; 2. The Ballerina Waxcap mushroom.
These Pink Ballerinas are rare; they were thought to be so rare that they were given ‘endangered’ status. Then lots more records of people finding them came in and so they were taken off the ‘endangered’ list.
One of the great things about them is that you can’t mistake them for anything else.
Here’s Hygrocybe calyptriformis, from M.C.Cooke’s, Illustrations of the British Fungi
Glorious, aren’t they?
More Waxcaps
A date with Waxcaps A trip to Somerset to see my friend Martin had the unintended bonus of a walk and a crop of… read more
Cycling past Waxcaps I'm cycling on Dartmoor when I see a Blackening Waxcap, Hygrocybe conica. It's always a thrill so spot one, so… read more
One of Britain’s rarest fungi So you think it doesn't look like much? I think it looks fabulous. It's growing in the short grass around… read more
The most beautiful bouquet of Killerton Waxcaps Killerton is one of my favourite National Trust places in Devon. It's one of the ones which was sold to… read more
Blackening Waxcaps There's a Blackening Waxcap, Hygrocybe conica, on the moist, shady roadside verges of the industrial estate. It's a beautiful colour.… read more
Waxcaps on the wane We're on a trip to north Devon, near Lynmouth, on an organised fungus foray. I'm particularly excited about the grassland… read more
Waxcaps Waxcap fungi thrive on damp, 'unimproved' grassland, or rather grassland which hasn't be ruined by artificial fertiliser or herbicides. A… read more
Crimson Waxcaps Waxcaps live in unimproved grassland. That means they are often only found in graveyards as the rest of the grassland… read more
Waxcaps in the meadows There are Waxcaps in the meadows in Devon: Meadow Waxcaps. I'm looking through some old photographs of fungi and see… read more