In Search of the Pink Ballerina

Group/Individual: National Trust
Location: Country-wide

During the autumn of 2007 the National Trust launched a survey to record waxcaps found on their properties. Over 600 people took part and more than 6,950 individual waxcap and other grassland fungi were recorded.

What did they discover?

The most frequently recorded waxcap colour was yellow, followed by white and then red.
Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk was one of ten waxcap hotspots in the UK.

Why not organise your own parish survey?

Choose an easily identifiable fungus such as beefsteak, common earthball or fly agaric.
Use your local parish magazine to raise awareness of the survey.
Ask people to send you details of what, when and where they saw it.
Collate the records and send them to Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service.
Collate the records and send them to Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service.

Many eyes make light work. By concentrating on just one or two species you can cover more of your parish, and create a more complete picture of the distribution of that particular fungus.