Fairy clubs, waxcaps and earth tongues: the colourful world beneath your feet
Ambergate, next to our Gas Pipeline Maintenance Centre in Derbyshire, sits within 77 hectares of National Grid owned land. Part of this is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with a variety of grassland fungi that is of international importance.
National Grid has been working in partnership with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) to effectively manage this unique landscape. Here, Oliver Foulds from DWT shares his experiences of a recent ‘fungal forray’ event, in which members of the public were invited onto the land, to learn about and identify rare species of fungi.
Climbing up the hill in the spring sunshine it would be clear to anyone why the Ambergate site has been singled out for its wildlife value.
Bullfinches hop about feeding on tree buds. Bumblebee queens race about on their quest for nectar to replenish their energy after a long hibernation. Early butterflies like small tortoiseshells and peacocks pass between the delicate spring flowers either side of the path.
Wildlife is waking up at Crich Chase Meadows right in front of your eyes.
What is less obvious on your sunny ascent is some truly special wildlife under your feet. An entire kingdom of organisms lies hidden in the soil, forming a crucial but often overlooked component of the ecosystem: the fungi.
Crich Chase Meadows lies at the southern end of Crich Chase, a large area of land designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest back in 2013. One of the main features of its designation was these grassland fungi, which are so diverse on the site that the meadows were described as ‘internationally important’ for their range of fungi following extensive surveys in the last decade.
There are very few sites designated as a SSSI for grassland fungi. Protecting this precious grassland habitat is crucial and the Crich Chase Meadows Restoration Project has been set up between National Grid and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to safeguard the habitats on site, not only for the fungi but also for the rich array of wildflowers and grasses. This project has a small team of dedicated volunteers going out every winter to fight back the bramble and hawthorn that threaten to swallow up these vulnerable grassland areas.
For most of the year, you would have no idea that these grassy slopes are home to such important fungi.
We only get a glimpse of what lies beneath when the fruiting bodies appear around autumn — these are the toadstools that come to mind when we think of fungi.
What is not obvious is that the bulk of the fungus is a much larger mass of tiny filaments spreading through the soil like the roots of a plant. The toadstool is simply a structure that briefly forms in order to release spores.
Autumn at Crich Chase Meadows marks the time for the hugely popular ‘fungal forays’, in which members of the public are led around the meadows by fungi experts to look at the weird and wonderful array of these fruiting bodies that come in all shapes, sizes and colours.
We are taught about the slimy green ‘parrot waxcap’ that gradually becomes yellow as it ages. We scour the hillside searching for the orange, finger-like ‘golden spindles’ that reach out of the grass and the delicate pink ‘ballerina waxcap’ hidden up the hill.
The blackening waxcap begins as a beautiful brick-red toadstool in the shape of a witch’s hat but touch it and it will soon turn jet black.
Even the cowpats have their own special fungi! The snowy inkcap is a white toadstool that grows out of cow dung and slowly transforms into a thick black liquid to disperse its spores. Unusual and fascinating, these fungi capture everyone’s interest and it is a rare treat to be able to see so many in one day, while being taught by a knowledgeable guide.
For wildlife to be protected, people must first learn about it.
Activities like this that educate and engage the community are crucial and the organised walks in the meadows have proved so popular that they’ve been booked out for the last two years. To date 150 species of fungi have been recorded and this activity is providing valuable research to inform the conservation project.
Asking other attendees how they found the experience, I hear responses like ‘I know this area but I had no idea what was under my feet’.
So, when you’re out in meadows, don’t forget to look down — perhaps you’ll see a Fairy Club or a Pink Ballerina beneath your feet…
