29 July 2024

Scarlet Waxcap

Look out for scarlet waxcaps, one of our waxcap fungi found in tightly grazed areas in old grasslands. It is small, red fungus with a domed, convex cap at first, which eventually becomes flat. The stem is also red and the gills are orangey-red. Brightly coloured fruiting bodies of waxcap fungi appear from now into autumn and indicate grassland which has not been disturbed for a very long time. Such grasslands with low nutrient levels have complex communities of fungi in the soil. Examples of grasslands with high numbers of waxcap species occur on Clare Island and in the Curragh. These are rare and important, part of our native Irish biodiversity.