North Kerry Waxcap Survey 2012 - the Northern Ireland Fungus Group

• The absence of Fairy Clubs like Clavaria fumosa (30 th in Ireland) and Clavaria fragilis
(31 st in Ireland) are also surprising
• Less common waxcaps like Hygrocybe nitrata, H.aurantiosplendens, H.mucronella
and H.colemanniana were also missing
• Hygrocybe conica var. conica, H.chlorophana and H.insipida were less common than
normal
• Species like Hygrocybe pratensis, Entoloma conferendum, H.quieta, H.laeta and
Geoglossum fallax were more common than normal
The reasons for these differences are not known but they are worth noting for future survey
notes.
Recommended sites for further survey
This list includes sites that scored well as it is felt that they will prove to be better as well as
sites that were seen but not visited. In Appendix 1 which gives the 10km and site details, under
each 10km square, other possible sites are listed. Many of these are purely speculative having
been identified in the desk top survey alone but represent my best estimation at good sites
within each square.
• All the Blasket Islands: Great Blasket, Inishvickillane, Inishnabro, Inishtooskert and
Beginish. These are probably very good sites but given that the weather is so often
unpredicatable at the key waxcap survey time (late October / early November), it will
always be very hard to get onto them. The licence for most of the commercial boatmen
finishes at the end of September making it difficult to organise any trips out to the
islands. The weather has to be good for them to want to go out.
• Glennahoo. The best site and it will be better with large areas of the valley still
unsurveyed.
• Lough Adoon. The eastern side of the corrie was not surveyed
• Lough Annascaul. The eastern side of the Lough was not surveyed and permission
should be gained for the steep fields on the western side as well.
• Slea Head. This has the feel of a good site. Additional areas to the north at the upper
edge of the enclosed fields could be targeted.
• Knockbrack at Q704052 is a steep U grassy corrie that could be very good
• Dunmore Head. Good potential for more species
• Tarbert House. A good lawn and possible H.calyptriformis site
• Illauntannig and the other Maharees islands. Visits to these islands were not possible
also due to weather and are worth visiting
• Inch Dunes: Maybe not a great waxcap site but worth surveying for other fungi
• Connor Pass south. The road south of Connor Pass takes the western side of the
valley. The eastern side could be interesting
• There are a couple of fields on the western end of Cnoc na nAcrai at V562993 that
would be worth looking at.
• Sybil Point – this site is bound to be better and is worth revisiting
• Binn Diarmada, the north easterly of the Three Sisters is worth looking at
• Lough Slat – also likely to be better than on this visit
• Some of the fields above Ballinknockane e.g. around Q448112 would be worth visiting.
• Drishoge River valley at Q619078
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