Waxcap fungi
Name: Waxcap fungi
Scientific name: Hygrocybe spp
How to identify: Many waxcaps are highly colourful and their fruit bodies, especially the relatively thick gills under the cap, often have a waxy texture, hence their common name. Waxcaps often change colour as they mature and sometimes weather can play its part – a long dry spell, for example, may cause colours to become paler – so a certain amount of caution is needed when trying to identify them.
Where: rough grassland often adjoining moorland areas such as near Pinkery Pond, tightly cropped lawns including parklands such as Dunster Deerpark and Nettlecombe, churchyards and lawns
Best time to see: September - December
Did you know? There are over 25 species of waxcap known to occur on Exmoor, including the snowy, ballerina, parrot and scarlet waxcap.
