Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

Residents are being asked to join in the hunt to find parrots, ballerinas, corals and earth tongues! As part of a grassland fungi survey, Carmarthenshire Biodiversity Partnership is looking for volunteers to help identify the brightly coloured mushrooms and record their findings. The wild species appear in different shapes, sizes and colours and can be found in cemeteries, well established lawns or old unfertilised grasslands. The survey is supported by Carmarthenshire Environment Partnership and anyone can take part. A photograph, record of its location and a date is needed once identified. Carmarthenshire’s Biodiversity officer, Isabel Macho said: “I would encourage people to go out and have a look for these amazing fungi – you may be surprised at the range of shapes and colours you can find. Wales has some of the best sites in Europe for grassland fungi.” The green Parrot, pink Ballerina, red Splendid, orange Honey and white Snowy waxcaps; yellow, white and violet coral fungi, oli...

Wales has some of the most scientifically important and diverse habitats for grassland fungi in the world according to researchers at Aberystwyth University. Writing in the latest edition of the journal Mycosphere, an international team led by Dr Gareth Griffith from IBERS (Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences) also reports the discovery of a new species of mushroom previously unknown to science, and another 13 species that had not been previously recorded in Britain. Mushroom-forming fungi are generally associated with woodland habitats but the grassy meadows and hills of north-western Europe are home to around 400 species, with intriguing names such as waxcaps, fairy clubs and earth tongues. However, increased intensification of agriculture over the past 75 years has meant that most of the low nutrient grasslands required by these fungi have been destroyed through ploughing and land improvement. Dr Griffith and his team recorded the presence and abunda...

Three scientists at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) at Aberystwyth University are part of an international consortium which has agreed upon a standard ‘fungal DNA barcode'. The conclusions of the study, which provides the foundation for the use of standardised DNA technologies for identifying fungi, are featured in the current issue of the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA) which is published this week. Dr Gareth Wyn Griffith (pictured above), Dr Joan Edwards (pictured above), and Brian Douglas from IBERS are members of a 140 strong team of scientists from more than 20 countries who collaborated on the work. DNA barcoding is the use of a standardised region of DNA for identifying species. However, an appropriate barcode region needs to be defined for each group of living organisms. Therefore, zoologists have opted for a barcode based on mitochondrial DNA while botanists use chloroplast DNA. Contrary to...

Have you ever noticed colourful mushrooms and toadstools in your local churchyard? If so, the National Botanic Garden of Wales would like to hear from you. Carmarthenshire is one of the best places in the Britain to find a group of wild fungi known as waxcaps, fairy clubs, spindles and earth-tongues. These bizarre and beautiful mushrooms come in a variety of strange shapes and vivid colours – reds, yellows, orange, green, purples and pinks – which can stand out in short mown churchyards. The Botanic Garden is helping to conserve these wonderful fungi because they are fast disappearing from farmland which is being treated with chemical fertiliser or ploughed up. Luckily, some churchyards are providing a refuge for these delicate life-forms. Their cemeteries tend to be well drained, well mown, have the grass cuttings removed and don’t have fertiliser spread on them. We want to find out where these are and contact the churches to let them know what a valuable piece of biodiversity they ...