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Viewing swaag.org website implies consent to set cookies on your computer. Full details Swaledale and Arkengarthdale Archaeology Group
Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation Number 1155775
SWAAG Honorary President:
Tim Laurie F,S,A,

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 *****SWAAG_ID***** 904
 Date Entered 11/11/2015
 Updated on 11/11/2015
 Recorded by Tim Laurie
 Category Fungus / Mould
 Record Type Botanical HER
 Site Access Public Footpath
 Record Date 10/10/2015
 Location Arkle Beck Pastures
 Civil Parish Reeth
 Brit. National Grid NZ 033 006
 Altitude 240m
 Geology River Terraces and solifluction deposits on northern side of Arkle Beck
 Record Name Wax Caps in the old pastures above Arkle Beck and the disappearance of wild mushrooms.
 Record Description Wax caps are the brightly coloured fungi which can be seen growing wherever old pastures have not been treated with nitrogen based fertiliser. There are a fair number of different species to be found, some common, some not so common. All are interesting and well worth searching out the best examples for a photograph at this time of year. See: http://www.first-nature.com/fungi/~hygrophoraceae.php Photograph, admire but do not eat these bright fungi. Note! Final identification of these fungi is a specialist field. My identifications are therefor provisional and revisions are invited!
 Dimensions See photos
 Additional Notes Whereas inedible bright Waxcaps are relatively common in the Dales (uncommon eldewhere), edible Field Mushrooms and Horse Mushrooms, which were once a treat to be found in the same pastures, have now completely disappeared. I have not seen a single wild edible mushroom in all the upland pastures where these were once common, both on limestone grasslands of the high fell sides and also on in the few remaining small and relatively inaccessible old pastures which were not considered worth the cost of fertiliser. However, in my experience wild mushrooms have during the last few years disappeared, even during the humid damp days of autumn, completely. Very occasional isolated mushrooms may survive somewhere. I understand that the cause of the disappearance of wild mushrooms has been the chemical and residual pharmaceutical content of sheep and cattle urine. I hope that I am mistaken and look forward to contradiction and to being informed that the once awaited mushroom bonanza still exists somewhere. Photographs of the underside of the waxcaps are useful in identification and can be taken with the camera on the ground close to, at ground level.
 Image 1 ID 6544         Click image to enlarge
 Image 1 Description Old pastures, Arkle Beck North Bank.
 Image 2 ID 6545         Click image to enlarge
 Image 2 Description Scarlet Waxcap, or possibly the uncommon Crimson Waxcap
 Image 3 ID 6546         Click image to enlarge
 Image 3 Description Scarlet Waxcap
 Image 4 ID 6547         Click image to enlarge
 Image 4 Description Scarlet Waxcap
 Image 5 ID 6548         Click image to enlarge
 Image 5 Description Meadow Waxcap
 Image 6 ID 6549         Click image to enlarge
 Image 6 Description Meadow Waxcap
 Image 7 ID 6550         Click image to enlarge
 Image 7 Description Meadow Waxcap
 Image 8 ID 6551         Click image to enlarge
 Image 8 Description Butter Waxcap
 Image 9 ID 6552         Click image to enlarge
 Image 9 Description Butter Waxcaps
 Image 10 ID 6553         Click image to enlarge
 Image 10 Description Snowy Waxcap with Scarlet Waxcaps
 Image 11 ID 6554         Click image to enlarge
 Image 11 Description Meadow and Scarlet Waxcaps
 Image 12 ID 6555         Click image to enlarge
 Image 12 Description Scarlet Waxcaps
 
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