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John and Doreen Bailey from the North Somerset and Bristol Fungus Group joined us to lead another foray on the hill and give us a report on the fungi we found.
This was the second foray led by John & Doreen and continues the work to record fungi on the Hill carried out by Justin Smith before his untimely death in 2014. John and Doreen have led several forays for the National Trust at Tyntesfield and were recomended to us by several members of the Bristol Naturalists Society.
Susan, chair of Friends of Troopers Hill, had planned out our route having sought out the best locations the previous day.
There was a good range of wax caps as well as earthballs and puffballs; the fly agaric was past its best. Some of the species found are unique to acid grassland and John spoke about the increasing rarity and importance of 'unimproved' grassland such as that at Troopers Hill for fungi. The application of fertiliser to improve grass growth prevents fungi from appearing and even a single application can have an impact for 50 or more years.
A collection was made for the Justin Smith Foundation. John & Doreen are also donating their fee to the Foundation.
The reports from this and earlier forays can be seen here. You can hear Justin talking about fungi and lichens as part of our Audio Trail; see our Troopers Trails page.
                              
Close-ups taken on the Saturday.        
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