{"id":69,"date":"2023-03-07T18:43:57","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T19:43:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/azuretheme.site\/?p=69"},"modified":"2023-11-06T12:13:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T12:13:20","slug":"the-hidden-waxcap-grasslands-a-rare-habitat-for-your-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/azuretheme.site\/index.php\/2023\/03\/07\/the-hidden-waxcap-grasslands-a-rare-habitat-for-your-garden\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hidden Waxcap Grasslands; a Rare Habitat for your Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"
Waxcap fungi, alongside some Pinkgills, Club, & Coral fungi, and Earth-tongue fungi, form a group of mushrooms that thrive merrily within types of unimproved or semi-improved grassland, forming the waxcap-grassland. <\/p>\n The semi-improved term refers to a grassland’s treatment with fertilisers either in the past or at a low level. We refer to this land as “semi-improved” as it is a term that is derived from previous land-management systems that focus on making land more productive for crop growth; a naming that is a keepsake from arable ownership. Any land that has been partially nutritionally “improved” to a certain degree, or at least was at one point, alongside any form of land management practices (i.e ploughing or reseeding) is often referred to in this way. Semi-improved is a very common condition for a lot of our grasslands, being arable, pastural, or in a garden setting. However there exists both Improved Grasslands (highly\/currently modified by fertiliser & management) and Unimproved Grasslands (non-modified by fertiliser & management) which are at either side of semi-improved grasslands, and represents the entire range of low-to-high nutrition. <\/p>\n Unimproved & Semi-improved grassland typically offer a higher number of species compared to Improved, as species who thrive in areas of dense nutrition regularly outcompete other species due to the fact that most species have evolved to cope within low nutrition environments and therefore cannot make use of all the available nutrients even if they are abundant. By retaining a lower nutrition and level of soil disturbance, other species can settle into the grassland, such as these colourful fungi to provide autumnal bouquets. <\/p>\n Many of these delicate fungi are widely threatened due a loss in suitable habitat as many habitats are improved due to agriculture, management practices, and nutrient run-off. Either this, or the opposite occurs when a grassland is left for too long with a lack of herbivore grazing or mowing, allowing scrub & shrubs to encroach and turn the land into a woody thicket. <\/p>\n Especially valuable Waxcap-Grasslands can still be found for people to view, often managed as parks, cemeteries, or even home-lawns. <\/p>\n So, if you think your garden lawn fits the bill for unimproved or semi-improved grassland, then this is a perfect chance to encourage some fungi in your garden!<\/p>\n Any actions you take to maintain & enhance your garden towards a wax-cap grassland habitat will result in a positive contribution towards these species, so feel free to be bold in your approach. Often, this style of management will benefit many other species as well. <\/p>\n Don’t be alarmed if it takes a while to recreate, restore, or improve your grass patch into a waxcap grassland as it takes time for fungi to inoculate onto a new patch – their spores spread on the wind and take time to establish in soils, having to grow throughout the soil before producing their fruit (the above surface mushroom), even under suitable management.<\/p>\n It is worth it though, as grassland fungi can be an important component to grasslands as a decomposer community, of similar importance to the plants that also reside there, quickly recycling the nutrition in the soil and spreading it evenly to maintain a balanced soil mat. In a sense they are important for soil conservation, assisting in building up soils, soil health, and preventing soil erosion. The combination of grass roots and mycelium root systems in this unique habitat stabilises the soil in many aspects. It is similarly that this array of grasses, fungi, and often wildflowers & herbaceous species is an important habitat for a wider array of both plants and animal species, even supporting those that are both rare and\/or threatened – there are some species associated with waxcap grassland that are found nowhere else in the world. <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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\nThe Garden Management Approach<\/h3>\n
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\nA Final Note<\/h3>\n