25 Oct 2007 - Just recieved this photo from the recent Fungi walk at Etherow CP. Thought I had best bung it up as it turned out a real good day.

30 May 2007 - WAXCAP WATCH - For a long time the National Trust has been aware that many of their historic gardens, parklands and countryside properties are important waxcap sites. However, with 300 gardens (or, 'old grasslands', as the conservation unit sees them) in the Trust's care and being the largest private landowner in Britain, we lack the internal resources to survey each potential waxcap site.

So, this autumn we are asking fungi enthusiasts, the general public as well as mycologists to record the waxcaps they see in NT gardens parks and countryside and submit their findings on a special webpage (www.nationaltrust.org.uk/waxcaps). This data will then be used to gain a better understanding of where the waxcap 'hotspots' are which will facilitate more detailed surveys in 2008 by the Trust's
Conservation department.

'Waxcap Watch' will be launched this autumn and we hope to involve a large number of fungi enthusiasts, mycologists, schools, NT members and individuals. It is a fantastic project and has the potential to achieve a lot in terms of raising the profile of the importance of ancient grassland, encouraging an interest in the amazing world of
fungi and helping us gain a better picture of waxcap hotspots around the country.

In order for this project to succeed it is essential that we have the support of local fungus groups around the country. In return, we would like to help promote these groups on our website (as the largest conservation organisation in Europe with 3.6 million members, the NT gets an enormous amount of people visiting the website) as an important part of this project is to promote a wider public interest in fungi, beyond the National Trust.

Fungal Friends are visiting Dunham Massey on 6th October 2007. Check the Days Out list. Hopefully we can fit Tatton Park in too - watch this space.