Its FUNGI time!

You might think that nature starts to sleep as the nights draw in and the weather turns colder. But damp and cool weather is perfect for waking up our fun-gi friends. You might start to notice a multitude of mushrooms while walking around the county and be fascinated at how different and diverse that they can be. The presence of mushrooms and other fungi is very beneficial to wildlife and biodiversity, they can also be a good sign that an ecosystem (a connected community of different species) is healthy.

Mushrooms on a log at Coed Pen-y-Pigyn, Corwen

Fungi are not plants

It used to be thought that fungi were a type of plant because they have a similar lifecycle. However, they are now defined as their own separate biological kingdom, in the same way that animals and plants are also within their own biological kingdoms.

What do Fungi do?

Fungi play a vital part in nature and humans have been relying on them for food and medicine for many years. Fungi play a vital role in breaking down materials, such as turning deadwood into nutrients that can be absorbed by trees or other plants. Many fungi also have symbiotic relationships with trees (a relationship which benefits both species) where they provide nutrients to the tree and the tree supports them in return. It is thought that life on earth would not exist if we didn’t have fungal species – they are that important!

Fungi and Climate Change

Fungi has a part to play in the fight against climate change (due to the impact of humans producing too much atmospheric carbon). Fungi are known to be carbon stores, so the more mushrooms the more carbon is stored away. Some species of fungi that live underground have the potential to store gigatons (a billion tons) of carbon dioxide every year.

How can I support fungi?

• You could keep a wild or nature area in a damp patch in your garden
• You could photograph any mushrooms you see when visiting any of our county nature areas or wildflower meadows over the autumn
• Take part in Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch 
• Admire the fungi you find in nature but don’t pick it, it is working hard to support nature exactly where it is.

Butter Waxcap found on one of our wildflower meadow sites

Mushroom on grassland

A Parrot Waxcap hiding on Caer Drewyn

Safety First

There are many species of mushrooms and without in-depth identification experience it can be very difficult to tell harmful fungi from edible fungi. Therefore, it is always recommended to never eat wild mushrooms unless you have had training or are accompanied by an experienced fungi forager or mycologist.

For more information  

To find out how we are working to reduce our carbon emissions and support nature recovery in the county please visit our Climate and Ecological Change on our website.