UK Fungus Day: The Yorkshire area which is akin to the Amazon for ancient fungi

As 90 per cent of the habitats that waxcaps thrive in have been destroyed over the past 70 years, The Yorkshire Post finds out why an area in Calderdale is akin to the Amazon for these ancient fungi.

It’s a little known fact, but Yorkshire is one of the best places in the world for some of the world’s rarest mushrooms, and October 5 is UK Fungus Day, the National Trust is taking the opportunity to shout about those which can be found at its site at Hardcastle Crags in Calderdale.

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Around 120 species of ancient grassland fungi, often known as waxcaps, can be found in pastures around West Yorkshire.

Now is the perfect time to go out and spot them. If you take a walk through ‘unimproved’ grasslands – fields that have not been ploughed or fertilised - between October and December, you may well encounter brightly coloured shiny mushrooms that can seem to pop up overnight.

Waxcap selection.
Picture Victoria HollandWaxcap selection.
Picture Victoria Holland
Waxcap selection. Picture Victoria Holland

But less well known is the fact that these fruiting fungi are in trouble.

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Yorkshire is now one of the last homes of these mushrooms, which are increasingly rare. Over the past 70 years, 90 per cent of their habitats have been destroyed.

And that is why the National Trust set up the Ancient Grassland Project in 2021 to help protect the mushrooms’ remaining habitats in West Yorkshire.

Over the past three years, the project has surveyed 385 hectares and found 119 fungi species – three of which are new to science.

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As well as that, around a third of these species are listed as vulnerable, and two as endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s red list.

“To put that into perspective, it’s like a snow leopard or polar bear being found in the fields around Hebden Bridge,” said Steve Hindle, who is the ancient grassland officer for the National Trust.

“If they were mammals or birds, there would definitely be more interest in looking for and looking after them.”

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He said there is, slowly growing, an increased understanding that these habitats need protecting.

New Countryside Stewardship schemes offer farmers financial rewards for preserving fields, and members of the public are invited to get involved in looking for and reporting the fungi, under schemes like Plant Life’s #waxcapwatch

Mr Hindle added: “Grassland fungi are still poorly understood, compared to other species, so there is very little statutory protection for them. But if people can get out and look for them, they can play a part in their survival.”

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Later this month, the National Trust plans to celebrate the Ancient Grassland Fungi Project with a ‘Fungi Festival’ at its site at Hardcastle Crags, near Hebden Bridge.

There will be a free exhibition of works from local artists, foraging walks, and craft workshops in Gibson Mill, which is in the centre of the wooded valley where the crags are, and from October 26 until end December, visitors will be able to learn more about the fascinating lifeforms that can be found across the estate – and beyond.

“Calderdale is our fungi equivalent of the Amazon rainforest,” said Mr Hindle.

“We want to shine a light on how amazing these fungi – if they go extinct we might never know what we’ve lost.”

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