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Blushing Waxcap

Neohygrocybe ovina

Months

Colour

Habitat

A close-up of a Blushing Waxcap showing the pink gills underneath with the edge of the cap and the stipe.

How to Identify Blushing Waxcap

CapDark brown or black, dry in texture
GillsLight brown or light grey, blushing red when cut or bruised. Significantly lighter than the cap surface
StemSimilar in colour to the cap, smooth and dry in texture. Also blushes red when cut or bruised
SporesWhite

Where to find them?

Find this fungus in ancient or undisturbed grasslands. This fungus is a rare find! 

Waxcap fungi in general can be found in grasslands which have not been fertilised or ploughed recently, and are regularly grazed or mown. Look out for them in any grassy areas – for example grasslands, road verges, churchyards, and playing fields! 

Don’t mistake it with

Blackening waxcap (Hygrocybe conica) can also be turn black with age, but its stem does not turn red when cut or bruised. 

Things you might not know:

Blushing waxcap is a strong indicator species, meaning that sites with this species present are likely to have a high diversity of grassland fungi. 

Other species

Greater Butterfly-orchid
A greater butterfly orchid in a meadow

Greater Butterfly-orchid

Narrow-leaved Water-dropwort
A close up of the top of a Narrow-leaved Water-dropwort flower head, the pretty white petals stand out against a background of grasses

Narrow-leaved Water-dropwort