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Here we delve into this mind-boggling realm to discover ten of weirdest, wackiest and most wonderful facts from the world of fungi!
There at least five kingdoms in our living world, including; animals, plants, fungi, protists, and the prokaryotes (which includes bacteria). While the animal and plant kingdoms are well known, fungi are often overlooked – but the world of fungi is fascinating! And they’re all around us. A network of fungi runs through the earth in every continent and can even be found in our seas.
Here we explore more of this incredible kingdom to share our passion for all things fungi. From a distant ancestral connection to how some fungi can survive on radioactive sites – read on for 10 wild, wacky and wonderful facts about the world of fungi!
Known as the Humungous Fungus, a single Armillaria organism, found in Oregon, is approximately 931 square hectares!
The fungus is measured including its network of mycelium that run underground, so much of the mass cannot be seen. While it’s unlikely you’ll come across anything of quite that size, there are some pretty big fungi you might find on your doorstep.
For instance, another fungus species, the Giant Puffball Calvatia gigantea (shown in the illustration below) produces large, round fruiting bodies that can be seen above ground. They’re certainly hard to miss, as they can grow up to 80cms in diameter (outside of the UK, they have been known to grow as big as 1.5m). They can grow to such a size that on occasion, people have mistaken them for sheep in a field!
Fungi is a kingdom all of its own, so we don’t want to mistake it for being a plant or animal. That said, while you might expect that these interesting organisms are more closely related to plants – the opposite is true. Fungi share a common ancestor with the animal kingdom, which includes humans, dating back around 1 billion years. [1]
While that may seem an incomprehensible length of time, it might not be in the world of fungi. We don’t have conclusive evidence of how old fungi can be. Research suggests that some of the fungi on our planet today, have been alive for thousands of years.
The ‘Humungous Fungus’ is estimated to be between 1,900 and 8,650 years old! [2] Which means there could be living fungi that were present when the Vikings landed in the UK, when the Romans ruled and even when Stonehenge was erected.
Fungi might be a common feature on your breakfast plate, or in a bowl of pasta – but there are many other foods that contain fungi, which might surprise you.
Did you know that bread, beer, wine and some cheeses all include types of fungi? Yeast-forming fungi are an essential ingredient in the processes to make them and there are many different species, the most common of which is Saccharomyces cerevisiae, used in brewing and making bread.
As far as we know today there are more than 2,000 species of edible fungi in the world. [3] These range from the popular Button and Chestnut Mushrooms Agaricus bisporus to the mycoprotein that makes up the meat substitute Quorn. And they are becoming even more popular with Lion’s Mane Hericium erinaceus being added to some coffees and fungi being used to help ferment cacao beans to make chocolate!
That’s right, fungi aren’t just contained to your kitchen, you can probably find them all around house from your wardrobe to your medicine cabinet and even your beauty bag.
One common example of fungi used in medicine is Penicillin, the first antibiotic, which was derived from Penicillium mould. Other fungi produce compounds that are used to treat diseases like cancer, high cholesterol and even organ transplant rejection.
In the beauty industry mushrooms are becoming a common feature of skincare products as many have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They have even been trialled as a renewable replacement for dyes in cosmetics.
Fungal enzymes are also used in the processing and production of a variety of products including paper, leather, cotton and biofuels – and generally they replace harsher chemicals in these processes.
Donate to our appeal and help protect vulnerable species, conserve the habitats they depend on and strengthen the ecosystems that support us all.
This is a pivotal moment for fungal conservation. The decisions we make now will determine what we discover, protect and pass on to future generations.
Fungi are essential for the nutrient cycles of the planet by acting as natural decomposers for organic matter. This means that as plants die, fungi help to break them down. In fact fungi are the only group of organisms that can break down plant cell walls.
But research suggests that fungi could also break down other substances, in a process which could be used to clean our planet. Mycoremediation, is a process that uses fungi to break down substances that cause pollution.
This process can be seen in action in places like the Amazon rainforest where local landowners are using these techniques to rid the ground of crude oil contamination.
Currently researchers are also using fungi to create filters to clean water. They’ve even found a species called Aspergillus tubingensis, which can break down plastics! [4]
And five years after the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, the fungi Cryptococcus neoformans, was found feeding on radiation. [5] Scientists are now exploring the possibilities of this incredible fungus, looking at whether its abilities could help protect astronauts from radiation in space.
Bioluminescence is a phenomenon where a living organism is able to produce and emit light. You might have seen this trait in fireflies in the sky or algae in the water, but more than 70 types of fungi can also glow in the dark. [6]
Some of these fascinating fungi that can be found around the world include Sulphur Tuft Hypholoma fasciculare (pictured on the right, in the daytime), Jack-O’Lantern Mushroom Omphalotus olearius, and Little Ping-Pong Bats Panellus pusillus.
You can even find some of these luminescent fungi in the UK – though they are rarer and weaker here than in other parts of the world.
While plants have long been heralded for their ability to store carbon, they are not the only organisms capable of doing so.
Fungi help break down organic material, using the carbon recycled by plants, and store this carbon as mycelium underground. This process helps lock atmospheric carbon in the soil, as well as releasing other nutrients into the soil which can help plants grow.
Scientists estimate that fungi could be storing up to 13.12 billion metric tons of carbon annually! [7]
We might still be finding new and exciting ways to benefit from fungi today, but our ancestors paved the way.
Most notably, a number of harvested fungi were found in the bag of Otzi ‘The Iceman’. Otzi’s mummified remains were discovered on the Italian-Austrian border in 1991. He had different species of fungi with him, though the intended uses of these cannot be known. Otzi is estimated to have been alive between 3350 and 3105 BC, meaning humans have been connected to fungi for at least 5,000 years!
While we tend to think of fungi in that stereotypical umbrella form, they can come in a variety of different sizes and shapes – including some pretty impressive lookalikes!
Take the Jelly Ear Fungus Auricularia auricula – a common fungus that you can often find on decaying or dead Elder. This odd fungus gets its name because it looks and feels, almost completely like a human ear!
Then there’s Dead Man’s Fingers Xylaria polymorpha! Just about as creepy visually as it sounds. The fruiting bodies are long and club shaped, and could easily be mistaken for a hand poking up out of the soil.
Finally, a much less scary lookalike, is the Bird’s Nest Fungus Crucibulum laeve – named because it’s fruiting body almost perfectly resembles a tiny bird’s nest filled with eggs! When it rains, drops splash into the nest shape and knock out one of the little discs, which contain the spores, helping them to spread.
OK, it’s all relative – you’re not going to find a mushroom that brings out the blue skies or creates a thunderstorm over your town. But there is research to suggest that some species, including Shitake Lentinula edodes and Oyster Mushrooms Pleurotus ostreatus could create their own mini weather systems. [8]
The science behind this phenomenon is evaporative cooling. Mushrooms release water, which evaporates in the warm air, turning into water vapour. The water vapour then cools the air, which sinks and the warm air in turn rises. As the air moves it creates a small breeze, probably not one that we would notice – but it’s enough for the fungi.
Even a whisper of a breeze can help to disperse the tiny spores and spread them over a larger distance. This trick is especially helpful on hot days where there isn’t any wind to assist.
Chris Jones, the Warden of Kenfig National Nature Reserve, recently found the very rare fungus, during a routine survey.
Fungi are one of our most fascinating creations, and best of all, they are right under our noses – perfect for children to spot.
Britain’s waxcap grasslands are considered to be the best in Europe. Discover the pressures these colourful fungi and their habitats face…
Help us find some of the UK’s most colourful and important fungi — waxcaps. #WaxcapWatch
Knowing where waxcaps and other grassland fungi are thriving helps us pinpoint where fragments of ancient meadows survive, so we can protect them for the future.
Not just important for the hundreds of wildflowers they can be home to, these ancient grasslands are also crucial in the fight against climate change. Species-rich grassland can store up to a third more carbon than areas with just a few species.
Ready to take part?
Download for iOS and Android, then allow camera access.
Click the link and select ‘Open in the field app’. This will download and install the Waxcap Watch survey app onto your device.
Open the Survey123 app and click on the Waxcap Watch survey icon. You can now follow the steps and complete your first fungi survey. Good luck!
Visit grasslands between September and late November (make sure the space is open to the public, or you have the landowner’s permission first). Waxcap fungi can be found growing in:
To become a fungi citizen scientist, use the app to complete a few questions about the place you are visiting and to record which colours of waxcaps and grassland fungi you can see.
There is no restriction on the number of surveys you do – the more the better as this will help build a picture of what can be found throughout the fungus season. Different fungi will come and go as the months change and some fungi are visible only for a few days or weeks at a time.
Join our Senior Conservation Officer for Fungi, Aileen Baird, as she discovers a rare fungus – one of the most beautiful and unusual species native to the UK.
You don't need to travel far to find fungi. Some of Britain's most fascinating species could be growing on the tree outside your front door, in the local park, or tucked into a shady corner of your own garden. Let's go and find them.
By taking a part in our survey you will help us to:
Much of this app is based on the work by Gareth Griffith, John Bratton and Gary Easton. Original publication: Griffith, G.W., Bratton, J.H. & Easton, G. (2004) Charismatic megafungi; the conservation of waxcap grasslands. British Wildlife. October 2004, pp 31-43.
You are responsible for your own health and safety; Plantlife do not accept any liability or responsibility for the wellbeing of surveyors. Similarly, they do not accept any liability or responsibility for damage to, or loss of, personal property.
We always recommend visiting sites and undertaking surveys with someone else and taking the following precautions:
– Check the forecast and make appropriate arrangements. If the weather changes you may need to rethink your plans.– Take care on uneven or slippery ground and keep to footpaths where necessary.– Take a mobile phone and let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.– Most fungi are non-toxic; even toxic ones are safe to hold. However, always wash your hands after handling fungi.
England and Wales
Grassland fungi can be found across a variety of different sites, many of which are publicly accessible, such as playing fields, parks or cemeteries. Where there is no open access, keep to public rights of way (footpaths and bridleways). If you plan to carry out a survey on private land, please make sure you obtain the landowner’s permission to access the site.
Scotland
Make sure you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code when carrying out this activity.
Where possible, we would highly recommend using the Survey123 app to complete the survey. It is much more convenient to use, especially when filling in the survey outdoors. The Survey123 app allows you to view and/or edit surveys you’ve already submitted, submit surveys while offline, and save answers to avoid re-entering the same information.However, if using the app is not feasible, you can alternatively follow this link and then select ‘Open in browser’ to launch the survey in a web browser on your computer. If you choose this option, we recommend looking over the survey form first to see what information you will need to record when carrying out your survey.
You can still access and fill out the survey without mobile data but you must download the Survey123 app in order to do this.When connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, download the Survey123 app, as well as the Waxcap Watch survey. You can then begin capturing survey information without a data connection. Upon completingthe survey, you will be given the option to ‘Save in Outbox’, please select this option (see below). In doing so, all your survey results will be stored locally on your device.
When you are able to reconnect to Wi-Fi or mobile data, you will need to submit your survey that has been saved in your Outbox. To do this, navigate to the survey summary page where you will see an ‘Outbox’folder. By clicking on this folder, you will be able to see the survey you filled out and can submit it by clicking ‘Send’ in the bottom right corner of the screen
You can find short step-by-step instructions here, or download our full guide here for a more in-depth look at the app.
Share your waxcap finds with us on social media using the hashtag #WaxcapWatch
Join our Specialist Botanical Advisor, Sarah Shuttleworth, for a deep dive into the history of lawns – from how they started to what they represented.
Whether you consider your lawn as a green carpet or a flowering, woven web ecosystem, have you ever considered where the start of the grass mowing habit first began?
Grasslands have almost exclusively been the product of land management by men and women for the purposes of grazing livestock or producing fodder for animals during the winter. This has been practised for thousands of years in the UK and as a result our grassland wildlife has become diverse and in some cases highly adapted.
The act of managing these vast areas of grassland was done by farmers, labourers etc through animal husbandry and hay cutting. It’s important to remember that without cutting or grazing grasslands soon start to scrub over with thorny bushes, then trees and lose the majority of their botanical interest and diversity.
Lawns actually came about during the 18th century as a way of proving to your neighbours that you had the wealth and resources to have land that was not managed for farming but managed for exclusively for recreation and to be aesthetically pleasing.
To keep this grass short and neat required the tireless effort of hired staff to scythe regularly and rake off the cuttings. If you could have someone design your land and gardens that included areas to be managed in such a way, you had truly made it.
By the time the technology to create automotive cutting devices (aka mowers) was available in the 19th century then owning lawns and cutting them really took off as more people aspired to garden like the elite.
The neat and tidy lawns even stretched to far flung areas of the world via the march of the British Empire and with it the desire to create flat green stages for sports such as cricket and football.
During the 19th and 20th centuries this neat and tidy green carpet aesthetic dominated with lawn care becoming a big business. Activities involving fertilising, herbiciding, moss-killing, scarification and aeration were enough to keep anyone busy as a bee on just the lawn, not to mention all the weeding in the herbaceous borders!
As households have become more time-poor and our understanding of climate change and the biodiversity crisis is growing, gardening has been much more a mix of time saving and providing a haven for wildlife. Sometimes sadly one is exclusive of the other with tarmacking over front gardens for driveways or the dreaded laying of fake turf, all for the sake of convenience. Thankfully although the need for parking our family fleet of vehicles is likely to persist the desire for the false economy of artificial lawns is possibly waning. Overall consumer sales and installation enquiries have dropped dramatically as environmental and flooding concerns have come to the forefront.
Although the shift might seem minimal or very gradual, since Plantlife began our No Mow May Campaign, the changes in attitudes and behaviours are noticeable. Relaxing our mowing schedules and embracing our wilder gardens is welcomed by an increasing portion of British society, and the shift from immaculate turf installations to immersive wildlife experiences on your doorstep is simply heart-warming.
Influential landscape designers, including Lanecelot ‘Capability’ Brown are part of the beginning of the traditional English Landscape garden aesthetic. Features such as vast sweeping lawns and parkland tree planting are key aspects to these designs.
Patents for the first lawn mower, enabling the crisp, flat greens of aristocracy to be more readily available to the average home.
The enviable lawn stripes become even easier to obtain thanks to the development of the Flymo mower, allowing a less labour intensive technique to the weekly mow!
Plantlife see an opportunity to raise awareness of the plight of our species-rich grasslands in the wider countryside by encouraging a change in management of our greenspaces by local authorities. A casually used turn of phrase ‘no mow may’ becomes the go to hashtag to punctuate this activity.
No Mow May in its 8th year has become a household name, used to describe a more sensitive way to look after lawns and greenspaces with wildlife as a feature as much as a play or picnic spot. No Mow Movement is gathering momentum and understanding as we embark on creating a shift in attitudes away from making stripes and clean edges to more of a No Mow MAYke a Meadow!
We’re know that No Mow May benefits biodiversity and our pollinators – but did you know that not mowing can also be a huge benefit to amphibians like frogs?
It’s not just wildflowers which benefit from not mowing our lawns this May. Pollinators and other wildlife bring our gardens to life!
There are so many benefits to taking part in the No Mow Movement. From helping wildflowers and grasses to grow freely, providing food for pollinators, habitat for wildlife and helping to tackle the changing climate.
We're not the only ones who love all the benefits of No Mow May! Here, the Butterfly Conservation joins us to give their top 5 species to look out for in your No Mow Movement area.
As well as bringing back the bloom to our lawns, there are many ways you can get involved with No Mow May, even if you don’t have a garden.
We know that No Mow May benefits biodiversity including our pollinators – but did you know that not mowing can also be a huge benefit to amphibians like frogs?
Here, Froglife joins us to give their top No Mow May top tips and insights, including how not mowing can help, what species to spot and where you might find them.
No Mow May encourages people to let grass grow and wildflowers bloom during May and beyond.
While best known for helping pollinators, it also creates important habitats for amphibians such as frogs, toads and newts, as well as reptiles like slow worms and grass snakes.
Amphibians depend on damp environments because their skin dries out easily. Short, regularly mown lawns can become hot and dry, making them unsuitable. Allowing grass to grow helps retain moisture and creates cooler, shaded conditions.
Longer grass also provides:
This makes gardens and green spaces safer places for reptiles and amphibians to feed, rest and move through.
Common species that benefit include:
You may even be lucky enough to see great crested newts!
Reptiles such as slow worms and grass snakes may also use longer grass for cover, hunting and temperature regulation.
Amphibians often breed in ponds, but, like reptiles, they spend much of their lives on land. Both species can be found in:
People without gardens can still support wildlife by encouraging less mowing in shared spaces or supporting local initiatives.
No Mow May and the wider Movement benefits whole ecosystems. Longer grass and wildflowers increase insect numbers, providing food for reptiles, amphibians, and other wildlife.
Healthier habitats also support pollinators, improve soil quality and create more balanced food webs. Reptiles and amphibians are good indicators of environmental health, so supporting them benefits a wide range of species.
Extending No Mow May into summer and beyond brings even greater benefits.
Different stages of amphibian and reptile life cycles depend on longer vegetation:
Maintaining a mix of habitats, long grass, shorter paths, and features like log piles, supports more wildlife than a neatly mown lawn.
No Mow May is a simple way to make gardens and shared spaces more wildlife-friendly. Continuing these practices beyond May helps create connected habitats across urban and rural areas.
Even small changes can make a difference, helping frogs, toads, newts snakes and lizards survive and thrive alongside people.
Plantlife’s No Mow Movement is here – let’s let it grow for nature! Pledge to take part today and get a FREE No Mow May guide.
It’s one of the easiest ways to connect with wildlife and the perfect way to start supporting nature in your garden (in May and beyond!).
This exciting new project will create more possibilities to save Twinflower populations.
We have teamed up with partners including the RSPB to build a brand new plant nursery in the Cairngorms in the hope of saving a rare and iconic little plant, Twinflower Linnaea borealis.
Once found all over the Highlands, Twinflower is now considered ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.
In fact it is thought there are fewer than 800 individual plants left in the UK, with most clinging on to fragmented patches of Scots Pinewood in the Cairngorms.
Sadly, clearance of these native woodlands, in particular in the early 1900s, resulted in severe losses of the species. And continued habitat loss and changes in woodland management have left the remaining Twinflower patches isolated and declining.
Plantlife has been leading a community of partners in pioneering restoration. We have been working on Twinflower over the past few years, advising on the management of its home, the pinewoods of Scotland, and performing careful translocations to support cross-pollination.
Remaining patches of Twinflower survive in fragmented habitats, which means that the plants are unable to cross-pollinate. One way to help with this issue is through translocations, a process used in conservation which involves moving an organism to a new location, where it will hopefully survive and thrive.
Through our Cairngorms Rare Plants Project, more than 1,000 Twinflower cuttings were moved or reinforced across 10 new sites to boost reproduction and help the species recover.
Now, we have teamed up with the RSPB Scotland to take the next step by creating a Twinflower nursery.
This exciting new nursery is being built on the site of a former tennis court at RSPB Abernethy Forest and volunteers have played a vital role.
Work started in late 2025, with volunteers helping to build nursery beds and prepare the site. And this spring, their hard work paid off, with the first young Twinflowers planted in April 2026.
This haven will see young plants reared in a safe setting before being moved out into suitable habitats in the wild.
There’s currently a total of 26 nursery beds that are full of growing Twinflower – but the aim is to have all 98 beds completed and filled in a few years time. This will help with the longer-term goal of being able to complete 150 translocations by 2040.
“We’re passionate about saving Scotland’s rare and endangered species and this exciting project, in partnership with Plantlife Scotland, will provide the opportunity to strengthen the abundance of this much-loved plant at Abernethy Forest and support its restoration in other forests so that it can thrive once again. We are grateful to Net Zero Scotland’s #NatureRestorationFund, managed by NatureScot for supporting their work.”
The beautiful Twinflower has two pink bell-like flowers on a slender stem, and a thicker stem below which creeps along the ground, forming small mats of the plant.
An aerial view looking down at the Twinflower Nursery site.
Volunteers worked hard building large plant nursery beds from wooden sleepers.
Volunteers also prepared the site of the new Twinflower nursery.
We have led what is considered to be the very first translocation of an epiphytic moss in Scotland to help save the species.
Join us as we take a look back at what went right for nature in 2025.
Thanks to Training to ID a rare moss species, numbers at one site where it is found in Scotland, tripled in just one afternoon!
The peat-rich Flow Country, which our Munsary Peatlands are part of, has been given the same standing as the Great Barrier Reef and the Grand Canyon.
Discover the activities and work that our volunteers in the Cairngorms do with Sam Jones of the Rare Plants and Wild Connections Project.
There are so many benefits to taking part in the No Mow Movement.
From helping wildflowers and grasses to grow freely, providing food for pollinators, habitat for wildlife and helping to tackle the changing climate. Read on to find out how your wilder patch is helping.
The No Mow May campaign started, primarily because of the significant loss of species-rich grassland across the UK in the last century. With more than 23 million gardens in the UK, we saw an opportunity. If lawns and green spaces could be left to grow they could recreate pockets of mini meadows.
We’ve seen wildlife thriving in No Mow areas – from bees feeding on pollen, amphibians sheltering in the longer grass, mammals thriving in the new habitat and stunning wildflowers being allowed to bloom freely.
Also, it’s super easy to take part – sign up, stop mowing, sit back and let it grow!
Did you know a No Mow patch where the wildflowers and grasses have been allowed to grow in May and beyond can help combat climate change? Not to mention, these spaces can provide vital refuge for wildlife during our changing climate.
By mowing less, the number of grass and wildflower species gradually increase over time. This creates a more varied soil structure and more biomass in and above the soil. This helps to lock away more carbon than a plain grass lawn, that might only have a few species in total.
Many studies have also shown that an increase in plant diversity may greatly increase the amount of carbon that can be stored and the rate at which this happens. [1]
In fact, species-rich grasslands are very important carbon sinks. It’s not just peat bogs and woodlands that need protection for their role in tackling climate change.
It’s also important to remember that by simply mowing yes, you are also helping to do your bit for the environment. Now that you’re caring for your garden with nature in mind, you might only need to mow paths or play areas on a regular basis – rather than your whole garden.
This also saves time, so you can sit and admire the gently swaying grass and hear the hum of busy insects instead!
At the end of the summer, you can continue to mow your lawn as normal. However, you might find that the grass grows less vigorously year on year, requiring less time mowing in the long run too.
Leaving longer grass in your garden or green space can also help to cool larger urban areas. Grassy areas left to grow are crucial in an urban environment – not only for our wellbeing, but also for regulating local environmental temperatures.
Urban green spaces can help to cool cities and are also able to influence the surrounding area. This phenomenon is called the urban green space cooling effect [2]
If grasslands within green spaces (lawns, parks, playing fields etc) can also be managed to have more vegetation and a mix of grass lengths, these benefits can be increased.
A study in 2021 showed that increasing plant structural complexity and/or diversity (meadow areas, hedges etc) increases heat mitigation and habitat for invertebrate biodiversity compared with regularly mown lawns management. [3]
So, whilst you sit and relax amid your No Mow area, take a moment to think about the increased resilience your lawn now has when faced with our increasingly dry and hot summers.
The summer of 2025 was extremely hot and dry for most parts of the UK, particularly the east of England. Many lawns turned yellow-brown early in the season and were slow to recover.
However, anyone doing No Mow May into June and July would have found their grass was much healthier and still green at the base. These areas were noticeably cooler too, providing much needed shelter from the sun for many creatures, pets and humans alike!
To help tackle climate change from your garden or green space, pledge to take part in the No Mow Movement.
[1] G.B.De Deyn et al, 2010
[2] F. Aram et al, 2019
[3] X. W. Francoeur et al, 2021
We’re not the only ones who love all the benefits of No Mow May!
Here, the Butterfly Conservation joins us to give their top 5 species to look out for in your No Mow Movement area.
May has arrived and with it, sunshine, blooms and busy butterflies looking to complete their lifecycles.
Butterfly Conservation research shows that allowing patches of grass to grow long can boost butterfly numbers by up to 93%, so taking part in No Mow May, as well as things like planting sources of nectar and avoiding pesticides, can all help create a welcoming space for butterflies to thrive.
But which butterflies might you spot in your garden and local green spaces this month?
This beautifully patterned brown and cream butterfly flies from April to October and likes to bask in sunny spots.
It’s a fan of gardens and, if you’ve got a long lawn, you might also spot its vivid green caterpillars, which like to munch on grass.
The Orange-tip only flies for a short time between April and June, so May is an ideal time to get out and spot one. Look out for a flash of orange on the tip of the wings of the males (lending it its name) or a black tip for the females.
Orange-tips also have a beautiful speckled green pattern on their underwings which help to tell them apart from other white butterflies which fly at this time of year.
The Red Admiral is a familiar garden favourite that can be seen in almost any month of the year – even December!
It has striking, orange-red wings and a powerful flight which make it hard to miss but sometimes difficult to get a proper look at.
One of the UK’s most distinctive butterflies, the Peacock has bright and colourful wings with bold ‘eye-spots’ on them which it uses to ward off predators.
However, despite its showy upperwings, with its wings closed, it looks like a dead leaf – you’ll have to keep a careful eye out to spot it.
The Holly Blue is a small, powdery blue butterfly with a delicate flight.
In May, you might spot it flying high around bushes and trees, particularly Holly bushes, which it lays its eggs on in spring.
We think blossom is one of the best things about spring – so join us on a deep dive to discover the different types and how to identify them.
Spring has sprung, and with it, pretty petals of blossom are turning our trees into clouds of pink and white.
But what is it, where can you spot it and how can you tell which is which?
Join us as we take a deep dive to discover Britain’s beautiful blossoms!
Essentially blossoms are flowers, but the difference botanically is that blossoms refer specifically to the flowers of fruiting trees.
These trees include species like Cherry and Apple which you might have in your garden or spot at a local community orchard. It also includes trees such as Rowan, Hawthorn and Blackthorn which you can spot in hedgerows, scrubland and woodlands across the UK.
These flowers are the beginning of the tree’s reproduction. The more blossoms that are pollinated in the spring, the more fruit the tree will produce.
The good news is that many blossom trees are quite common.
One of the best places to visit is orchards where can you spot lots of fruit trees together –you could even volunteer at your local community orchard to give back to nature and your neighbours. Local parks are also great, places like Greenwich Park in London or the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland typically have great displays.
But it’s also worth keeping your eyes out on walks or when you’re in the car. Native trees can pop up along roadsides, in hedgerows and woodlands, so you can spot some of the most beautiful blossoms in the most unexpected places.
It depends on which blossom you’re looking for, but generically speaking these stunning floral shows can be enjoyed from late February right the way through until early June.
The exact bloom times depend on the season, weather and temperature, but Blackthorn can usually be seen from February to March. Hawthorn and Crab Apples can be spotted from April to May, and Rowan from May to June.
Here we’re going to take a closer look at a few of our most beautiful native blossoms which can look quite similar – Hawthorn, Blackthorn and Cherry Plum.
Firstly looking at Cherry Plum, the bark of an adult plant is dark grey and new growth is green and hairless. The sepals of the flowers bend backwards away from the petals – this is known as being ‘reflexed’. The flowers are also around 20mm wide, whereas the Blackthorn and Hawthorn are both smaller at around 10 – 12mm.
Hawthorn and Blackthorn both have similarities too. Their trees produce pale creamy flowers in the spring, which each have 5 petals. Though Hawthorn blossom petals are more rounded than Blackthorn.
One great way to tell the blossoms apart is that Blackthorn starts flowering before its leaves appear and Hawthorn flowers after.
Looking at the two trees, Hawthorn is a common tree that is found in woodlands, hedgerows and scrub. Like the name suggests, its branches are thorned, but they’re much smaller than the thorns found on Blackthorn. Hawthorn’s bark is a grey to brown colour. It flowers from April until May, which is slightly later than Blackthorn, though they can overlap.
Blackthorn on the other hand, which can be found in the same habitats, has darker bark and larger sharp thorns. It flowers from February to March, which is slightly earlier, though as mentioned above, they can overlap.
The Blossoms of our native trees are great for pollinators. Blackthorn for example, with its earlier flowering time is a great food source for early spring butterflies such as Small Tortoiseshell.
We’re sure you’ll agree that blossom is one of the best things about spring. So keep an eye out and feel free to share your beautiful photos with us by tagging us on social media.
Join us for a deep dive into your spring lawn and learn everything you need to know about how to prep for the best No Mo May!
Join us on a journey to discover the Daisy – from fun facts to folklore!
Go behind the scenes with our Policy and Advocacy Intern Aimee Seager as she tells us about her role and explores the journey she took to get into conservation.
As I look back on what I have done in my internship to date one key moment stands out to me: walking through Edinburgh towards one specific building. Which building? The Scottish Parliament Building to talk to Members of Scottish Parliament about a nature-related Bill I had coordinated Plantlife’s response for. It was my first time in Edinburgh, my first time in parliament and my first time talking to a member of parliament. I went through the airport-style security equal parts nervous and excited. I sat down with my colleagues in the parliament café with my hand-written notes in front of me ready to plan and was struck with the realisation that I was about to do some real advocacy. This is what I had wanted to do for so long. I just remember thinking ‘how did I end up here?
A lot of conservation jobs are focused on the ecological and practical aspects of this sector. Whilst I am no stranger to getting knee deep in the hands-on side of things, I knew that I wanted to try out taking my career down a different avenue. As many people will know who are in the conservation sector, that is a lot easier said than done.
I knew that I wanted to get into the policy and advocacy space. In a previous role I had been exposed to what policy work could look like and although it was not part of my job then, it made me realise that I wanted to have a go. How could being directly involved in action for nature not sound appealing? However, for someone just beginning their career, it seemed like quite an elusive and somewhat unreachable option.
My early-career journey before joining Plantlife was neither plant-based or policy related. A good start, I know. Upon finishing my Masters in Conservation Biology I landed my first internship assessing the impact of an international trade-related project. I learnt a huge amount about commodity trade, assessing project impact and working in a project environment. Following this, my next role was a short-term contract as a Research Assistant at a Spanish Research Institute. So, for the next few months I lived in Seville and went all-in on the impacts of linear infrastructure (i.e. roads, railways) on biodiversity.
Like (almost) every early-career starter in conservation, I used volunteering to boost my skills and experience. Neither of my prior two roles are directly related to policy or advocacy, despite me knowing this is something I wanted to try out. Instead, I looked for a part-time volunteer role to try and fill this curiosity gap of mine. It must have been fate or something similar because the first time I looked online for roles after this decision, I saw a volunteer role at Plantlife. I applied, was successful, and started volunteering with Plantlife as a Political Advocacy Volunteer. I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. Roughly six months into my volunteering, and towards the end of my time in Spain, the Policy and Advocacy Intern role was posted. I applied, interviewed twice, completed a task and was ultimately successful.
What does policy and advocacy work look like for a conservation charity? Is it more than just talking to politicians and criticising government policies for harming nature? These are questions I asked myself as I tried to work out what my internship might entail over the Christmas before I started.
What I have come to learn is that the policy and advocacy space is quite multifaceted. Working as part of the Policy and Advocacy Team to support, plan and deliver on our work across Plantlife’s focus areas has led me to work in a variety of areas. My role is a fun mixture of everything from building relationships, event organisation, communications, research, project planning, campaign action and policy consultations and advocating to politicians. I have been lucky enough to attend a mass lobby in Westminster to talk to my MP about the importance of nature, specifically the need for a Grasslands Action Plan and legislation to ban peat sales. I also got to visit Scottish Parliament to talk to MSPs (Members of Scottish Parliament) about the Natural Environment Bill going through the Scottish Parliament at the moment.
If you’re interested in finding out more about a career at Plantlife, keep an eye on our Careers page for the latest opportunities.
I have really enjoyed seeing my work contributing to the political advocacy space for nature conservation. Despite my previous jobs not being directly related to policy, advocacy or plants and fungi, I still found them useful in working in this space. Working for the conservation and protection of nature, especially plants and fungi which are often overlooked, has been incredibly insightful.
I have found internships to be a great way to get into the conservation field and try out different aspects of it. They give me the opportunity to develop both in my career, and personally. I am the third person to fill this year-long internship role, and I feel lucky to work at an organisation like Plantlife that cares and caters to my development and the development of others in their early career. I’m also grateful to Esmée Fairbairn Foundation for funding these internships, as being able to get experience in the policy and advocacy space in my early career has been so eye opening. I feel much more confident in my work, and I am sure this opportunity will be useful in what I do next.
Growers, NGOs, environmentalists and the public stand together urging the government to act to stop the destruction of peatlands
From citizen science, to volunteering and from making space for nature to forging a deeper connection with it – conservation is for everyone.
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