I have visited this site on several previous occasions with the Craven section of the Mid-Yorks Fungus Group & this was an opportunity to show our group the remarkable assemblage of grassland species of fungi that can be found here. The principal focus, however, was to concentrate our attention towards the splendid variety of waxcaps.
The forecast wasn't a good one & this may be why our numbers only consisted of Alice, Alison, Amanda, Julia (our driver), Maddie, Sally & myself; or it could also be that fungi are a niche subject & does not appeal to everyone ! On a good weather day this is a glorious place to be, offering panoramic views that incoporate Simon's Seat & Lower Barden Reservoir. We did get those views and an added bonus were seeing several rainbows, but this of course meant we were not there on a good weather day. The autumn colours also enhanced the scene. A windy, showery day atop of Barden Moor in November is not for the faint-hearted. Searching for fungi always results in a lot of standing about whilst reference books are examined & when it is cold, wet & windy !
Fortunately the few showers were brief so we didn't get too wet. Sadly, one of those showers came whilst we were sat alongside the hard Lower Barden track having lunch. We had begun our foray at 10:45 by exploring the short grassy areas surrounding the main car park. This was probably the windiest place of all. We were rather overwhelmed by the variety & quantity of the assemblage. Reliably identifying fungi in the field is a challenge at the best of times but in these conditions it is very difficult indeed. After less than an hour it became apparent that we needed to head for lower ground to avoid the worst of the wind & to warm up our bodies by getting some exercise.
Waxcap species we identified around the Car park = Scarlet (lots of these), Snowy, Meadow, Parrot, Blackening (one was completely black) & Spangle. We may also have seen Butter & Orange but I am not certain of those two . Other species were Earthy Powdercaps, Meadow Coral, White Spindles, Dog's Vomit, Dusky Puffballs, Dung Roundheads, Entelomas (Pinkgills), Mycenas (Bonnets), Galerinas (Bells) & Psathyrellas (Brittlegills). Heavy overnight rain had washed out the cap colours of many of the fungi, paticularly the Powdercaps.
Alongside the track to Lower Barden we also managed to see Clouded Funnels, Fragrant Funnels (gorgeously smelling of aniseed), a solitary sombre looking Cavalier & several I stuggled with. After the event I was assisted in identifying one of those as Clustered Domecap. On the way back up the hill were three very slimy medium-large toadstools that had clearly lost most of their cap colours. After a few minutes of pondering I remembered that the Craven Group had recorded Blue Roundheads here. We could still see a few areas of the give-away bluey green stem. The opposite side of the road to the parking area is where the Cedar Waxcaps are to be found. These fungi are usually smaller than the very similar looking Snowy WC's & can be easily overlooked due to their inconspicuity. The diagnostic feature, however, is the fragrance which some sources say is cedarwood & others Russian leather. Keeping one in a pot for several minutes dramatically increased the strength of the aroma. Everyone got a sniff !
The only birds seen were a couple of Red Grouse.
Shortly after this, about 14:00 we all agreed we had had enough & the consensus was to head for a cafe in Skipton for some hot drinks.
Many thanks to our driver Julia.
John Gavaghan