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Very rare fungus recorded on island for first time

News imageNiamh McDevitt A date waxcap seen from above among green grass. It is a mottled brown on top and fairly ugly. Shards of its yellowish stem are poking out sideways from underneath the cap. Niamh McDevitt
The date waxcap was found by ecologist Niamh McDevitt

One of the rarest fungi in Britain has been discovered for the first time in Alderney, a wildlife trust has said.

The date waxcap was found by ecologist Niamh McDevitt earlier this month, said Alderney Wildlife Trust.

The trust said there had been only about 100 sightings of the species ever recorded in the UK.

Growing in unimproved dry grasslands, date waxcaps are characterised by a watery head, a brown cap, yellow to orange gills and a yellow stem.

News imageNiamh McDevitt The underside of a date waxcap. It is light brown and has a fine texture. The roots are light brown and it's placed on grass.Niamh McDevitt
Date waxcaps have yellow-orange gills and stems. Niamh McDevitt said unfortunately one of the mushrooms had already been kicked over

The fungus is listed as vulnerable on a red list of threatened species compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

It is said to be threatened by habitat loss caused by changes in land use and agriculture.

A date waxcap was recorded in Guernsey in 1995, but the latest find is a first for Alderney, said the trust.

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