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| Species of the Month - September 2013 Parrot Waxcap Hygrocybe psittacina September is the waxcap month, when unfertilised grasslands, be they lawns, churchyards, or hills grazed by sheep, become studded with brightly-coloured mushrooms. One of the easiest waxcaps to recognise is the Parrot Waxcap with its unique green colouring. The amount
of green on each fruitbody is very variable. Any part of cap, stem
and gills can be green, and any part can lack the green and look
yellowish, orange or dull pinkish-brown.
Even
without any green the species can be recognised. The cap and the
stem are both extremely slimy. The LH pic above shows the
gelatinous coating forming a transparent margin as it goes over the cap
edge. The stem is so slimy that it will slip through your fingers
if you try to hold it.
The main confusion species is Hygrocybe laeta, the Heath Waxcap, which is also very slimy and can be green at the top of the stem - but nowhere else. A big difference between the Parrot and Heath Waxcaps is that on the Parrot Waxcap the gills go strongly upwards as they meet the stem. In the Heath Waxcap the gills turn down as they meet the stem. No other
waxcap species show any green. In the photo above the gills are
green so it has to be the Parrot Waxcap. The cap is broken but if
it was put back into shape the ascending gills would be evident.
The
LH pic above shows green at the stem-top only. This could in
theory be Heath Waxcap, but because the gills clearly go upwards as they
near the stem it has to be Parrot. The RH pic once again shows the
gelatinous cuticle forming a transparent rim to the cap.
Finally an amazing flash photo by Robert of Parrot Waxcaps with totally green caps and stems, in the unusual habitat of woodland, on our recent Lismore foray. Thanks to Robert MacPherson for this photo and to Jan Hamilton for the first four photos.
Please send in your Parrot Waxcap sightings using the form below,
or email sightings@lnhg.org.uk
with the details if you prefer. If you are
not sure of the identity of your waxcap, please send a photo to sightings@lnhg.org.uk,
or put one on the
LORN forum and let me know it is there. By filling in this form you agree that the information contained in this form may be collated and disseminated manually or electronically for environmental decision-making, education, research and other public benefit uses in accordance with the LNHG data access policy. Your email address will not form part of the record and will not be passed on to anyone.
Carl Farmer
6 Sep: found by Cynthia at Balameanach, Mull
7 Sep: found by Cynthia at
Kintra, Mull
9 Sep: found by Cynthia at Knock, Mull
9 Sep: found by Cynthia at Killiechronan, Mull
12 Sep: found by Jan at Dalnatrat
13 Sep: found by Carl at Taynuilt and at Inverawe
23 Sep: found by Liz on Lismore
24 Sep: found by Carl on LNHG field trip at Appin
25 Sep: found by Cynthia at Glencoe
28 Sep: found by Cynthia on Coll
29 Sep: found by Carl near Kilmartin
Note you can still send in
records for past species of the month. Here is the list of species
we've had so far:
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