Blackening Waxcap

After three days of almost constant rain, Rosie and I actually managed to get out for a walk this morning. I found a group of these attractive orange-red fungi growing in an area of nutrient-poor sandy soil near one of the lakes at Ferry meadows. Nearby there were many older fruit bodies, black and tattered in appearance.

Commonly known as the Blackening Waxcap, Hygrocybe conica is a very variable grassland mushroom, one of several species whose caps turn black with age; you can just see the first slight colour change on the top of the cap. It can be readily distinguished from other similar waxcaps by its long-lasting fruitbodies which, once mature, turn jet black all over and then can remain standing for many weeks.

Although undeniably beautiful when seen in bright sunshine, these conical waxcap fungi look just as good in wet weather, when they stand out boldly against the green background of their grassland habitats, as here. Blackening Waxcaps can be red, orange, yellow or, of course, jet black. Equally varied are the shapes of the caps: some remain stubbornly sharply conical while others gradually open, out occasionally becoming almost flat but always retaining at least a slight central umbo.

This species is one of the commonest British waxcaps, but still has a somewhat localised distribution because most grassland habitats have been 'improved' so that they are too rich in nutrients to support waxcaps. Locally they are particularly characteristic of short, rabbit-grazed turf on sand or limestone, especially in disused quarries.