grassland gems- managing lawns and pastures for fungi · the fungi on your land · to keep up the...
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Further advice onarranging fungal recordingcan be obtained from:
The Conservation Officer British Mycological Society,Joseph Banks Building,Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew, Surrey TW9 3AE
Association of British Fungus GroupsHarveys, Alston,Near Axminster,Devon EX13 7LG
Further advice on managinggrasslands for fungi can beobtained from:
Countryside Council for WalesEden House, Ithon Road,Llandrindod Wells,Powys LD1 6AS
English NatureNorthminster House,Peterborough PE1 1UAAdditional information isavailable on www.english-nature.org.uk/science/botany/pdf/FUNGI_INFO_NOTE.PDF
Environment Heritage ServiceCommonwealth House,35 Castle Street,Belfast BT1 1GU
Scottish Natural Heritage2 Anderson Place,Edinburgh EH6 5NP
Further copies of thisleaflet are available from:
Plantlife14 Rollestone Street, Salisbury,Wiltshire SP1 [email protected]
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The Fungus Conservation Forum, administered by Plantlife (www.plantlife.org.uk), is a partnership
of organisations and individuals who are actively involved in the conservation of fungi.The Forum
exists to coordinate, promote and take action for the conservation of fungi in Britain and Ireland.
Above: A waxcap-rich pasture
Front cover: Dark purple Leptonia Leptonia nigroviolacea
T H E F U N G U S C O N S E R V A T I O N F O R U M
Grassland gems:managing lawns andpastures for fungi
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'mycelium' beneath the ground.This means thateven when you cannot see the fruitbodies, thefungi are still an integral and sensitive part ofany grassland, so their needs should be takeninto account all year round.
Below are some tips that will help you ensurethat grassland fungi are well looked after if youhave them on your land:
In order to look after grassland fungiplease remember:
· To keep your grassland well grazed or mown
so that the turf is short. Remove clippings
wherever possible. Regular cutting does not
appear to damage the fungi below ground, but
if you want to see what you have, cut less in
Autumn to allow fruiting
· To maintain existing field drainage systems
where appropriate
· That fertilisers damage grassland fungi and
should be avoided if possible
· To try and avoid the use of fungicides or use
them sparingly, as they may inadvertently kill
useful fungi or fungi you never intended to
control
· To avoid using moss killers since these fungi
may form intimate relationships with mosses
and may even depend on them
· To avoid lime or apply it with caution since it
may damage fungi
· To encourage fungal recording on your land.
Contact the British Mycological Society or
Association of British Fungus Groups for more
information and a contact in your local
recording group
· To seek advice from the organisations listed
overleaf if you're still unsure of what is best for
the fungi on your land
· To keep up the good work if you already
have a variety of fungi present on your grassland!
A flower rich grassland is a sight to behold, butgrasslands may also play host to a rich varietyof colourful fungi, such as the waxcaps, namedbecause of their shiny, waxy or sticky caps.
These attractive fungi, ranging in colour frompink and red to yellow and green are sostriking that such grasslands can be called afterthe fungi themselves and are known as'waxcap-grasslands'. Other characteristicgrassland fungi include the unusual and delicatefairy clubs, pink gilled entolomas and bizarreearth tongues that resemble sticks of liquoriceemerging from the ground.
Grasslands that do not support a great diversityof flowering plants may still be rich in fungi, sodon't discount sites that appear to be dull onfirst inspection. Churchyards, lawns and parkswhere the sward is kept shortly mown orgrazed can be particularly important forgrassland fungi. Pastures and common land thatis regularly grazed can also provide suitableconditions.
Grasslands rich in these fungi are a declininghabitat throughout Europe due to acombination of agricultural intensification onthe one hand and lack of management leadingto reversion to scrub on the other. In fact, theUnited Kingdom is a particularly importantplace for grassland fungi. For example, the UKBiodiversity Action Plan listed pink waxcap or'ballerina' may be more common in the UKthan anywhere else in the world and several ofour 'waxcap-grasslands' are thought to be ofEuropean significance.
The best grassland fungi sites:· Are often well drained · Have a short turf · Are poor in nutrients and usually unfertilised · Often have plenty of moss present · Are not necessarily rich in flowering plants
Fungal fruiting bodies usually emerge in theautumn, but fungi are present in grasslandsthroughout the year, existing for the most partas a vast network of minute tubes or
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The Fungus Conservation Forum
Pink waxcap Hygrocybe calyptriformis
Crimson waxcap Hygrocybe punicea
An earth tongueMicroglossum olivaceum
A violaceous fairy club Clavaria zollingeri
A yellow waxcap Hygrocybe chlorophana
The Fungus Conservation Forum
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