A date with Waxcaps
A trip to Somerset to see my friend Martin had the unintended bonus of a walk and a crop of wonderful waxcap …
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 I dismount …
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 a car …
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 the National …
Blackening Waxcaps
There’s a Blackening Waxcap, Hygrocybe conica, on the moist, shady roadside verges of the industrial estate. It’s a beautiful colour. I’ve seen …
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 here as …
Waxcaps
Waxcap fungi thrive on damp, ‘unimproved’ grassland, or rather grassland which hasn’t be ruined by artificial fertiliser or herbicides. A trip to …
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; …
Crimson Waxcaps
Waxcaps live in unimproved grassland. That means they are often only found in graveyards as the rest of the grassland environment has …
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 these Meadow …
Killerton and the Meadow Waxcaps
Killerton House is a National Trust property near Exeter in Devon. I’ve visited quite a few times and seen some wonderful fungi …
Parrots in the grass
I’m walking on Orley Common and there are parrots in the grass. No, not these kinds of parrots.
As rare as Witches’ Hats
On the endless A9 as I travel north from Devon to Orkney the lay-by numbers help denote the passing of a day …
Waxcaps
On Fitty Hill I’m surprised to find a wonderful collection of Waxcaps. These fungi are classic inhabitants of poor, unimproved grassland and …