What a spectacular mushroom we have here! 🍄 🦜 👀
There’s not many specimens of mushroom with such an array of vibrant colours in one. Appearing in either orange, yellow, brown, purple or green, you can tell how they ended being named after a parrot.
Although none of the waxcaps here in Britain are poisonous, mycologists recommend not eating many different varieties of them including the parrot waxcap due to the fact that their habitats are being destroyed and are becoming rare in certain areas.
They grow in grassland. Now, you would think, hang on, we have been creating so much agricultural grassland in this country by destroying woodland etc that surely waxcaps have tons of habitats? But unfortunately the majority of our grassland is not fit for purpose for these guys as it’s been depleted of the nutrients needed, regularly disturbed and heavily sprayed.
I trust we can create healthier environments for the waxcaps to thrive once again in the future! We must stay optimistic!
Scientific Name: Gliophorus psittacinus
Happy foraging!