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A recent fungi fanatic, Plantlife’s Sarah Shuttleworth, has been exploring the wonderful world of fungi with her family.
Fancy a half-term adventure for the whole family, that gets the kids outside and interested in nature? Well, the answer is on your doorstep…fungi hunting.
Fungi are one of our most fascinating creations, and best of all, they are right under our noses – perfect for children to spot. You don’t even need to go to a nature reserve, the hunt for fungi can begin in your back garden or local greenspace.
With autumn well and truly here, I have found myself delving into the weird and wonderful world of fungi – very much aided by my children’s interest. The questions about what is this strange looking mushroom, what are these neon blobs, or gelatinous goo on the log – prompted my own interest in jolly-well finding out.
As it turns out, fungi are as diverse and complicated a group as one might expect. And it’s quite astonishing how brilliant children are at spotting them. (I suppose being that much closer to the ground and having 20:20 vision is probably a large amount to do with it!)
You can find fungi in so many places, here are just a few:
On our first trip out, we found more than 30 species in just one hour, ranging from the colourful circus like fungi, to the downright weird freak show of stinkhorns and slime moulds. We have been to woods in the Blackdowns, Dead woman’s ditch in the Quantocks and even round the corner at Thurlbear. All of these places gave us a range of fascinating finds, just by stepping off the path and looking around. Even if you don’t know the species, a few quick photos from different angles and a social media post, will soon increase your knowledge.
I think the children particularly like the sheer surprise element in fungi finding, you really don’t know what could turn up. Plus, the names are a delight – from the Shaggy Inkcap Coprinus comatus, Scarlet Elfcup Sarcoscypha austriaca, Amethyst Deceiver Laccaria amethystina, Beefsteak fungus Fistulina hepatica and Turkey Tail Trametes versicolor. Some of them ooze blood like droplets, turn bright blue when sliced, smell like honey or puff magic smokey spores when prodded! There are literally so many reasons for not only kids but the kids in us to be fascinated by this world of mycelial magic in the woods.
This Autumn, we’re also asking for your help to find Britain’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps. Click here to take part and find out more about our #WaxcapWatch– and you might even be able to help us find some important species-rich grassland in the process.
Every autumn one of the UK’s most colourful natural displays takes place: jewel-coloured waxcaps emerge through the grass across our countryside, cities and even some of our gardens. Let’s find them!
Watch Sarah Shuttleworth record her first waxcap find on the Waxcap Watch app.
A place of like-minded enthusiasts where you can share knowledge and photos of waxcaps and related species.
A biodiversity-boosting project, working with landowners, to restore and create 100 hectares of species-rich grasslands.
Since the 1930s, 97% of wildflower meadows across England and Wales have disappeared due to pressures from intensive agriculture and development.
We want to go beyond caring for the 3% that are left.
The Meadow Makers project will work with landowners to restore and create, as well as monitor and manage, 100 hectares of species-rich meadows over the next 15 years.
We’ve received a record-breaking £8million from National Highways to restore meadows, from Dartmoor to north Yorkshire, to help people nature and wildlife.
Meadows and species-rich grasslands are magnificent, in many ways. They are extraordinary ecosystems, with native wild plants at their heart.
Species richness in grasslands can significantly improve carbon storage in the soil, which is a vital tool for addressing the climate crisis. They also have fungal networks covering thousands of miles, can be home to up to 140 species of wildflowers, provide flood mitigation and provide nutrient-rich grazing for livestock.
Species of wildflower can be found in a single meadow
Hectares of meadow will be restored and created
Insects are supported by the food plant Common Bird’s-foot Trefoil alone
Over the next 15 years, seven sites – six in Devon and one in North Yorkshire – will undergo significant grassland restoration with our team of meadow specialists.
Every meadow is home to different species and habitats. This project will require unique care to allow the meadows to bloom wilder than ever.
In Dartmoor
On the North York Moors
The Meadow Makers project will contribute towards our goal of restoring 10,000 hectares of species-rich grassland by 2030.
What you need to know about grasslands and how to manage them
Grasslands like meadows and parks are not just home to wildflowers, they are also an important habitat for a colourful type of fungi which prefer farmland to forests – waxcaps.
Waxcaps are types of mushrooms known for their shiny-looking caps. Together with other types of fascinatingly named fungi called pinkgills, earthtongues, club and coral fungi – they form a group called “grassland fungi”.
Waxcaps and grassland fungi come in a rainbow of different colours including vibrant violets, yellows, greens and pinks.
They also come in weird and wonderful shapes, which can help you to identify the species you’re looking at.
Chris Jones is the Warden at the Kenfig National Nature Reserve, one of our Dynamic Dunescapes sites, and has worked as a practical conservationist for over 25 years.
Kenfig is one of the largest sand dune systems in Wales and provides a unique habitat for a variety of rare and specialised species, including over 20 species of Waxcap fungi.
‘Waxcap fungi are commonly found in grasslands and meadows, and they are known for their ecological importance. They are often found in areas with short, grazed vegetation, but they can also occur in disturbed habitats, such as lawns and roadside verges.
Waxcaps are mostly found in the late summer and autumn, typically from September to November, depending on the local weather – but you can find them all year round.
The meadows where waxcaps are found are known as ‘waxcap grasslands’. These grasslands need specific conditions for waxcaps to thrive and are becoming rare.
On waxcap grasslands, waxcap fungi form partnerships with plants, where they exchange nutrients with the roots of host plants, benefiting both the fungi and the plants. This only happens in habitats with a high level of biodiversity, which the app aims to identify.
Waxcap fungi are fascinating, not only for their vibrant colours, but also for their significance as indicators of healthy grasslands. Their conservation is important for maintaining biodiversity and preserving these unique and beautiful fungi for future generations to enjoy.
Many waxcap species are considered rare or threatened, primarily due to habitat loss and changes in land management practices such as tree planting and intensive agriculture. If you find any, please record them on the Waxcap Watch app.
‘I LOVE Waxcaps, they are AMAZING! It is ridiculously hard to pick a favourite, but if I had to choose it would be… all of them.’
This autumn, help Plantlife find Britain’s most colourful and important fungi – waxcaps.
We are working to restore Pasqueflower, which can only be found at 19 sites across England, and Juniper, which is facing extinction in southern Britain.
Pasqueflower, which is threatened and declining, has been lost from many of the places where it used to grow. This rare wildflower, which is considered ‘vulnerable’ in Britain, can now only be found at 19 sites across England – after it was lost from 108 sites.
Similarly, Juniper – which has been lost from nearly 50% of its historic range – is facing extinction from southern Britain. Over the past 60 years, this iconic shrub has struggled to regenerate and whole colonies are dying out. If this trend continues, more than 100 special invertebrates and fungi that depend upon it will disappear too.
Funded by Natural England’s Species Recovery Capital Grant Scheme, we will be running a variety of species recovery projects – including for Pasqueflower and Juniper.
We have received a share of a £14.5m award to recover some of England’s most endangered species.
Both Pasqueflower and Juniper urgently need the help this project will provide.
Plantlife has been working to reinstate lost Juniper landscapes over recent years. Since 2009, we have been trialling techniques to reinstate the shrub and 10 out of 14 sites now boast healthy populations of young bushes.
Without vital work such as this, Juniper is likely to become extinct in lowland England within the next 50 years – which in turn could impact other species such as Goldcrest, Fieldfare and Song Thrush and Chalkhill blue and Silver-spotted skipper butterflies.
The project, funded by Natural England, will help Plantlife to save lowland Juniper at Lime Kiln Bank at Stockton Down in Wiltshire.
The process will involve habitat enhancement and we will collect, treat and sow locally sourced Juniper seeds. A provision of fencing and water supply infrastructure will also be implemented to facilitate the long-term management of the five-hectare site, which will gradually be restored back to chalk grassland with scattered Juniper.
Pasqueflower becomes more threatened every year and without intervention it may be lost in southern England within decades.
The remaining populations face serious threats from a lack of grazing and scrub encroachment, with more than 99% of Pasqueflowers now restricted to just a few chalk and limestone grasslands and only at a handful of nature reserves.
The project will restore Pasqueflower populations at 10 sites across the Chilterns, Cotswolds, Berkshire Downs and Yorkshire using techniques which have been trialled, tested and proven successful.
Restoring these wildflower’s habitats and creating new ones will also result in many other species being saved.
It will increase the ecological value of the land and be delivered by a team of specialist staff and landowners.
We are also working to protect temperate rainforests in another branch of the Species recovery Project.
Join Plantlife and an expert mycologist for an exploration of colourful Waxcap fungi in Deeside.
We will be introducing the work Plantlife are doing in the Cairngorms and the fungi we’ll be looking for during the day.
On the walk you will be practicing ID, learning about waxcap fungi conservation and habitat preferences, as well as surveying to gather information about these understudied species.
Please email sam.jones@plantlife.org.uk to reserve a place.
Please bring appropriate outdoors clothing and equipment and remember to bring along water and lunch.
Meet at Glen Tanar visitors centre, across bridge from visitors car park: https://goo.gl/maps/cn7Vn5LzsY3d6V4L7
NO 48064 96509
Plantlife may be in touch after the event for evaluation purposes, please let us know if you would like to opt out of this on the day.
Building on our previous work, Plantlife’s project, Rare Plants and Wild Connections, empowers people to take action to save and support our rarest wild plants
Join our Ranscombe Farm Reserve Manager Ben Sweeney, on a guided walk of this Important Plant Area. Head out across our flagship reserve to spot some of the rare orchids and other wildflowers that make it so special.
Explore the globally important, rare and often forgotten habitat of temperate rainforests.
Join leading botanist Trevor Dines, and Specialist Botanical Advisor Sarah Shuttleworth, to delve into the world of urban plants. Find out how these plants defy the odds to live on our streets.
Meet at Invercauld Estate Car Park (pay and display), just North of Bridge of Dee and the A93: https://goo.gl/maps/EdGqjj4UczawEgJm8
NO 18826 91284
Grasslands in Wales are facing increasing threats and we are working to create positive change.
This 3-year partnership project will strive to recover the condition of some of our most important places for grassland habitats.
Grasslands in Wales face increasing threats – from development, pollution and unsustainable land management practices. We are responding to these challenges through the Glaswelltiroedd Gwydn (Resilient Grasslands) project – in partnership with North Wales Wildlife Trust.
This project will run for 3 years until March 2026, and will work with farmers and landowners to protect, enhance and restore semi-natural grassland habitats across Wales.
40% of threatened Welsh wildflowers and fungi depend on semi-natural grasslands
Semi-natural grasslands are one of Wales’ most important habitats – but are often overlooked.
These meadows and pastures have a critical role in:
Once dominating the landscape, these habitats declined by 90% in the last century and now cover just 9% of Wales.
Grasslands that have not been recently cultivated, re-sowed or received fertiliser application. They are created by low-intensity, traditional farming, and contain a rich variety of grasses, fungi and flowers.
Read more: Grasslands and why they are in trouble
Grassland restoration is essential to stem the decline of our wildflowers and wildlife. We need to act now to protect these important places and their flora and fauna, support sustainable agriculture and mitigate against climate change.
Our focus is land on or near Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), Important Plant Areas (IPAs) and Important Fungus Areas (IFAs) – but we will also work on grasslands right across Wales.
Rhôs pasture – Rhos means ‘Moor’ in Welsh. Often dominated by purple moor-grass, it is rich in biodiversity, provides valuable grazing and helps prevent flooding. It is vulnerable to draining, tree planting and being abandoned to scrub.
Meadows – Flower-rich meadows are vital for pollinators and other insects – and beneficial to livestock health. Their disastrous decline is mainly due to increased agricultural intensity in the last century.
Ancient grassland for rare fungi – Grassland with no agricultural improvement since 1840, providing an ideal habitat for many rare fungi. The UK is of global importance for waxcap fungi – a focus of this project.
We have developed a training programme for young farmers, alongside our partners Llysfasi agricultural college and Pasture for Life, to highlight the benefits of lower input land management and the return of species-rich grassland.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, food security and a decrease in profit margins are all causes for concern within the farming sector. We need a farming system that is sustainable and profitable while delivering high quality produce, protecting nature and rural communities. By engaging with young farmers and land managers, we hope to support positive change in livestock farming in Wales that benefits both farmers and biodiversity.
As part of the programme, we have taken some students to Pentwyn – a working hill farm owned by Radnorshire Wildlife Trust, which aims to make space for nature while still producing high welfare products under a low input model.
We taught students how to identify key plant species which can give an indication of the quality and type of grassland – and how best to manage it.
Wildflowers, now viewed as weeds by some farmers, were once recognised for their nutritional benefits to livestock. Plants such as Bird’s-foot Trefoil Lotus corniculatus and Yarrow Achillea millefolium would have acted as natural anti-inflammatories, antiseptics, and wormers. With their deep rooting systems these wildflowers also provide stability, aeration, and nutrients back into the soil they grow from.
Looking into soil health, we also took samples and measured the depth of topsoil to highlight the issues caused by compaction from overgrazing and the use of heavy machinery. We hope training sessions like this will help young farmers feel better prepared for a future in farming that is good for people, planet and plants.
Are you a farmer or land manager?
We want to partner with farmers and landowners who are eager to explore what diverse grasslands could do for them, their farms and for nature.
We can provide advice, technical support and information – which may help decisions around the SFS and your farm business.
There’s a role for everyone with the Glaswelltiroedd Gwydn project! We’re looking for volunteers who can:
We would love to hear from anyone interested in volunteering for Glaswelltiroedd Gwydn. Please contact volunteering@plantlife.org.uk for more details.
Follow us for further updates on the project!
If you would like to contribute to the funding of this project, please get in touch with Beth, our Senior Partnerships Officer at Beth.webb@plantlife.org.uk
The Nature Networks Fund (round two) is being delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government and in partnership with Natural Resources Wales.
We would like to thank all of the trusts and funders who support this project, including those listed below and the Mackintosh Foundation.
Wildflower meadows are often a defining feature of the summer, but when managed properly they can also be a vital habitat for wildlife and nature recovery.
Take a look through our guidance on managing meadows, the equipment needed, which seeds to choose and much much more.
Glaswelltiroedd Gwydn is a 3-year project to create positive change on grasslands such as meadows and rhôs pasture across Wales.
Plantlife and our partners are calling on the UK Government to prioritise grasslands and commit to developing a Grassland Action Plan for England. Grasslands cover more than 40% of land in the UK, yet their true value has been overlooked by successive governments.
The Coronation Meadows project, originally involving over 80 donor meadows and over 90 recipient meadows, pioneered a path to the long-term creation and restoration of wildflower rich grasslands.
From mountain pastures to floodplain meadows, grasslands cover more than 40% of land in the UK.
They are a huge natural asset; vital for nature and people to thrive, for food production, and to combat climate change.
The true value of grasslands has been overlooked by successive governments in the UK.
The majority of our ancient wildlife-rich grasslands have been destroyed and they are now among the UK’s rarest habitats – with losses continuing today. Over-fertilised and monoculture fields now dominate our landscape, providing few benefits for nature, people or our climate.
It’s time for real action to make the most of our grasslands.
This would help to achieve national and international climate and nature targets, by driving the restoration, appropriate management, and creation of wildlife-rich grasslands, connected across the landscape.
Grasslands can provide many incredible ecosystem services and benefits – such as supporting wildlife, storing carbon, providing clean air and water, and producing nutritious food – but they could be doing so much more.
Plantlife and our partners are calling on the UK Government to prioritise grasslands and commit to developing a Grassland Action Plan for England.
The untapped potential of grasslands continues to be overlooked by government – but protecting, restoring and managing these incredible habitats is crucial for tackling the climate and biodiversity emergencies.
We’ve written to the government to urge them to create a cross-departmental Grassland Taskforce. Unlike trees and peatland, there is no dedicated team or person in government for grasslands, despite them covering 40% of England.
The letter has been supported by more than 40 environmental organisations and charities including Pasture for Life, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, UK Youth for Nature and Campaign for National Parks.
Read our letter here.
To unlock the benefits of grasslands, a new approach is needed. We’re calling on governments in the UK to make the most of our grasslands.
This briefing covers how Plantlife and its partners are calling on the UK Government to make the most of grasslands and commit to developing a Grassland Action Plan for England’
From machair to meadows, species-rich grasslands are intrinsic to Scotland’s biodiversity, history and identity – whilst producing food and playing an often-overlooked role in tackling climate change.
This briefing highlights the value of grasslands as stable carbon stores in order to make the case for action by policy makers, researchers and land managers to protect these grasslands.
A review of the extent of semi-natural and/or species-rich grasslands in the UK, exploring trends overtime and between nations.
This report offers a review of existing literature and evidence on the numerous advantages associated with species-rich grasslands.
From mountain pastures to floodplain meadows, from road verges to private gardens and urban parks – grasslands are all around us. Nature-rich grasslands are sustainable solutions for nature, food, climate, economy, and health.
Discover the wealth of benefits provided by these biodiverse habitats and why we need to take action to make the most of our grasslands.
If your organisation would like to support this important call out please contact Jo.Riggall@plantlife.org.uk
Since the 1930s, 97% of wildflower meadows across England and Wales have disappeared – and we're creating positive change.
Plantlife are excited to have begun a 10 year partnership project with English Heritage, where we will restore and create 100 meadows across 100 historic sites, as part of the King’s Meadow Project.
Meadows and grasslands are essential for biodiversity, as well as for storing carbon and enhancing our well-being.
Understanding how meadows are established and the role we have as humans on sustaining them is crucial. Sarah Shuttleworth, Plantlife’s Senior Ecological Advisor, explains how collaboration between Plantlife meadow experts and English Heritage head gardeners and landscape staff, is helping to protect these beautifully biodiverse landscapes.
‘Nearly all land in the UK would eventually turn to woodland if it was completely left alone, therefore grasslands naturally start to turn to scrub and then woodland if they are not managed. This is why we need to cut them for hay and/or graze them with animals which helps to keep the diversity of specialised meadow critters from disappearing.
It was also important to explore the reasons behind their disappearance: we have lost over 97% of our meadows or species rich grasslands in the last century.
Our demand for food since World War II has intensified the way in which we manage the land, resulting in a shift from species-rich hay meadows that were cut by hand, to ploughing and replanting grasslands with grass seed mixes for silage, or pasture for animals to graze on. This is why this project to restore and create meadows is so exciting.’
Training led by Plantlife will have an impact on some of England’s greatest historic sites, whose meadows are as rich with nature as they are with heritage.
During a 2-day training event held at English Heritage properties, Plantlife led discussions about how to create new meadows at their sites, and enhance those that already exist at iconic landscapes across the country.
‘Plantlife’s meadows team helpfully showed us how we could improve the species diversity by cutting meadows earlier to control the vigour of grasses and other vigorous species. Our gardeners and managers have returned to their own sites across England enthused and have started planning soil surveys as the first stage to assess the potential of sites we are looking to restore in the years ahead.
With Plantlife’s support and advice, English Heritage is creating more natural spaces at the heart of 100 of our historic properties, ensuring that wildflowers and wildlife can flourish there once again, and helping our visitors to step back into history and experience something with which the sites’ historic occupants would have been familiar.
On one such site, over in Kent, Charles Darwin used his meadow at his home, Down House, to produce hay, for grazing his animals and as a place for observation and experiments. In 1855, with the help of his children’s governess, he started a survey of all flowering plant species growing in the neighbouring Great Pucklands Meadow. He would go on to use the data to demonstrate biodiversity in his seminal work on natural selection.
Today, both of Darwin’s meadows provide an outstanding show in the early summer. Buttercups turn the field into a golden blaze, followed by White and Red Clover, Great Burnet, Ox-eye Daisies, Knapweed and many more. This wonderful array is enjoyed by visitors large and small, including bees, butterflies, moths and wasps.
In a decade’s time, our coronation pledge will be an inspiring legacy of established, restored and new meadows at 100 of our historic sites – big and small – right across England.’
We’ve lost over 97% of our meadows in less than a century. Plantlife’s work, like the Kings Meadow Project, will restore healthy grasslands rich in wild plants and fungi, which can support more wildlife, store more carbon and so much more.
Plantlife’s policy team have responded to a Scottish Government consultation on a potential ban on peat sales. This consultation is welcome but long overdue.
Species on the Edge is a partnership of eight of Scotland's nature conservation organisations. We are working collaboratively to safeguard 37 priority species found along Scotland's coast and islands.
A project led by the Alliance for Scotland’s Rainforest to protect and restore this globally important habitat
Different types of grasslands, such as meadows and parks, can be full of wildflowers and fungi, benefitting people, nature and climate.
Healthy grasslands, rich in wild plants and fungi, can provide so many ecosystem services and benefits. With the right management, they can support wildlife, store more carbon, produce nutritious food, provide clean air and water, plus so much more.
Yet, we’ve lost almost all of our most biodiverse grasslands. We need governments in England, Scotland, and Wales to take action to manage, restore, and create grasslands that are rich in wild plants and fungi – making the most of our grasslands for people, nature, and climate.
Click to download a PDF copy
Extreme weather resilience
Diverse plant species help to cope with droughts, with deep roots accessing nutrients and water[1]
Natural beauty and cultural heritage
Filled with colour and life, grasslands enrich our landscape and culture, inspiring art & crafts
Cleaner air and water
Reducing fertiliser and pesticide use benefits our health and the natural environment[2]
Health & wellbeing
Access to green spaces improves peoples’ mental & physical health[3]
Healthier Soil
Diverse plants, fungi & microorganisms support healthy soils & their ecosystems, reducing soil erosion[4]
Climate change mitigation
Carbon is safely stored in the undisturbed soils of permanent grasslands[5]
Natural flood defence
Absorbent soils of floodplain meadows[6] and other grasslands slow the flow of floodwaters
Better, joined-up habitats
Providing food, shelter and connected corridors for wildlife across the landscape [7]
Increased pollination
More wildflowers help pollinators thrive [8]
Animal health & nutritious food
Livestock grazing on diverse plant species are healthier[9] & produce more nutritious food[10]
Cooler environment
In heatwaves, wild plants & fungi retain moisture, absorb heat[11] & provide shade for wildlife
[1] Grassland Resistance and Resilience after Drought Depends on Management Intensity and Species Richness | PLOS ONE
[2] Grassland ecosystem services: a systematic review of research advances and future directions | SpringerLink
[3] Improving access to greenspace: 2020 review (publishing.service.gov.uk)
[4] Frontiers | Managing Grazing to Restore Soil Health, Ecosystem Function, and Ecosystem Services (frontiersin.org)
[5] Briefing Document_Grasslands
[6] The natural capital of floodplains: management, protection and restoration to deliver greater benefits – Open Research Online
[7] Lowland Grassland Management Handbook (Second edition) – GRASSLAND (naturalengland.org.uk)
[8] Historical nectar assessment reveals the fall and rise of floral resources in Britain | Nature
[9] Microsoft Word – Is the rye-grass always greener FINAL (magnificentmeadows.org.uk)
[10] the-human-health-benefits.pdf (pastureforlife.org)
[11] Urban green space cooling effect in cities – ScienceDirect
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