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This year on National Meadows Day, we are campaigning for the protection of irreplaceable meadows – and we need your help!
Our wildflower meadows are a powerful ally in the fight against climate change – but they are in trouble!
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Our annual citizen survey campaign Waxcap Watch is making a big difference to fungus conservation work.
A rare fungus has been found at 300 new locations as a result of the annual Waxcap Watch citizen survey campaign.
Every year, we urge people to help us find some of Britain’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps – and record them through our free app. The hard work from volunteers and members of the public has proven very successful for 2 important grassland fungi – Pink Waxcap and Violet Corals.
More than 300 new locations for the rare Pink Waxcap have been discovered in the UK. Pink Waxcap, also known as Ballerina Waxcap because of the way the pink cap flares out and splits like a tutu or pirouetting dancer, is classed as “Vulnerable” on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Data collected between 2020 – 2024 also shows 18 new locations of Violet Corals, a rare species recognised by its vibrant violet branching structure.
These discoveries show a huge leap in knowledge and the importance of citizen science in mycology. Before Waxcap Watch, just over 1,000 Pink Waxcap sites and 183 locations for Violet Corals were recorded in the UK, according to the British Mycological Society’s database [1].
Waxcaps, a type of fungus, are an indicator of rare, species-rich grassland. Knowing where waxcaps and other grassland fungi are thriving helps us locate where fragments of ancient meadows are surviving. This means we can help protect them for the future.
These ancient meadows are crucial in the fight against climate change.
Waxcap Watch is a very valuable tool for conservation. There aren’t many mycologists so by members of the public conducting surveys, we can learn more about grassland fungi and work to protect the sites where they are found.
Download the FREE app and help us find waxcaps.
These new Waxcap Watch findings are just the beginning for most sites. In places recorded as having high diversity indicators, such as Pink Waxcaps, further surveys will be done to influence future conservation plans.
The ambition of Waxcap Watch is to build pathways for local grassland conservation plans and help focus the efforts of mycologists.
Importantly, we need to keep going. Recording more waxcaps (or a lack of waxcaps) can help us investigate the state of fungi in the UK, as well as the impacts of climate change and changes in land use.
Over the 5 years that Waxcap Watch has been running, thousands of people have conducted surveys to help us understand more about the world of fungi. In 2024, we saw our highest number of surveys with 567 in total.
From lawns to agricultural land and cemeteries to road verges – people have found waxcaps in a huge variety of habitats.
In fact, a significant proportion of surveys were done in urban areas such as cemeteries, garden lawns and amenity locations. Typically, these are not commonly surveyed areas.
2025 is the sixth anniversary of the Waxcap Watch and we’ve made some exciting improvements to the campaign including:
Enjoy taking part!
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