Expert encourages people to hunt for fungi as Milton Keynes enjoys 'explosion' of mushrooms this month

Wild fungi are growing in abundance in Milton Keynes at the momentWild fungi are growing in abundance in Milton Keynes at the moment
Wild fungi are growing in abundance in Milton Keynes at the moment
This month has seen wild mushrooms popping up all over the city due to the warm and damp recent conditions.

And mushroom expert Beverley Rhodes is encouraging people to hunt them down and learn how to identify the different varieties.

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She says that with the trend of foraging for edible mushrooms becoming ever more popular, many other fungi risk being forgotten.

But for her, finding rare fungi has become a life-long labour-of-love.

“There’s been a real explosion of fungi this autumn - especially after the wet summer we’ve had. They’re making the most of the warm damp conditions - prolifically fruiting in the short period before winter”, she told the Citizen.

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“The fungi we find help us to understand the health of the woodland. I try to identify and collect as many small samples of each as possible."

In one woodland, Beverley found 40 different specimens in only two hours, including a very rare rose spindle mushroom.

She shares her data with the National Forest, the Fungus Conservation Trust and the British Microbiological Society.

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Despite her encyclopedic knowledge she still uses two well-thumbed books to identify each of the more unusual finds:

“For identification I look at the size, shape, spore colour, smell and other features” she said.

“The grassland and mycorrhizal specimens we find helps to develop our understanding of the ecological system and of the symbiotic relationship fungi have with plants and trees. They can indicate the age and health of woodland and help take woodland management forward."

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