A fungi expert working for the City of London Corporation on Hampstead Heath has found ‘Cortinarius irregularis’ - a species of mushroom never discovered before in the UK. Field Mycologist Andy Overall, who is head of the London Fungus Group, was conducting an environmental fungi survey for the City Corporation’s Hampstead Heath Pond’s Project, which is designed to upgrade the ponds’ flood defences to meet modern safety standards. The survey was being conducted in a fenced off area – not accessible to the public - on the west bank of the Mixed Bathing Pond, to discover which species of fungi are present, and to develop a management plan on how best to encourage any fungi found. The find is considered to be an important discovery for field mycology and for the ecology of Hampstead Heath. It is thought that the mushroom’s spores may have been lying dormant for many years and could have come in from the European content, where the species is known to be present - by bird, on the soles of shoes, or even by wind. Andy Overall, who has recorded 600 species of fungi on Hampstead Heath over the last 15 years, said: "I was very surprised and excited when I spotted the Cortinarius. "I knew I had found something important and my heart raced. Hampstead Heath is a green treasure trove, smack bang in the middle of London, and I have been fortunate enough to have discovered one of its hidden gems."
Votes: 0
E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Landscape Juice Network to add comments!

Join Landscape Juice Network

Open forum activity

Fusion Media posted a blog post
2025’s prolonged heat put turf surfaces under extraordinary pressure, leaving many venues facing compaction, thinning coverage, and stressed rootzones.As spring approaches, turf professionals are looking to revitalise their surfaces with reliable,…
22 hours ago
Fusion Media posted a blog post
Visitors to Mansfield Sand’s stand (242) at BTME 2026, taking place from 20–22 January at the Harrogate Convention Centre, will have the opportunity to explore a standout selection of sand-based products designed to elevate the performance,…
23 hours ago
Fusion Media posted a blog post
Visitors to Stand 550 at BTME 2026 will be welcomed by KAR UK, joined by the expert team from Hunter Irrigation. The showcase will be built around innovation, efficiency, and practical support for today’s greenkeepers and course managers.With an…
yesterday
Fusion Media posted a blog post
GroundsFest and the GroundsFest Academy will be exhibiting at BTME 2026 for the very first time, marking an important milestone for the fast-growing event and its year-round education programme.Visitors can find the GroundsFest team on stand 233,…
yesterday
Fusion Media posted a blog post
MM Seed will be returning to BTME from 20-22 January, welcoming visitors to Stand 124 to explore some of the industry’s most trusted grass seed mixtures for golf courses.Throughout the event, their knowledgeable team will be available to offer…
yesterday
Fusion Media posted a blog post
Agrovista Amenity will return to BTME 2026 with a line-up that reflects its continued commitment to practical, science-led turf solutions.Visitors to Stand 126 will be able to explore two of the industry’s most talked-about technologies – Attraxor®…
yesterday
Fusion Media posted a blog post
Laser Sharp Results with Redexim: When James Camfield, Managing Director of Golf Course Management Services Limited, saw a gap in the market for specialist tee levelling, he turned to Redexim.The result? Flawlessly levelled playing surfaces that are…
yesterday
Graham Taylor replied to Tim Bucknall's discussion Stihl blowers failing
"I've had a couple of BG86's for years.   Excellent.   Have replaced the carbs once for £35 each from China......... they looked like the genuine ones  marked Stihl with the part code on.   The only major fault I found was the Ergostart system.  The…"
Tuesday
Nick @ NM Garden Services Ltd replied to Mitchel ingham's discussion Winter and spring ideas for work
"See our website - www.heathrowsnow.com if you'd like to join the Winter Resillience team!"
Monday
Paul Errington replied to Mitchel ingham's discussion Winter and spring ideas for work
"One of our landscape machinery customers used to organize labour for snow clearance operations at Heathrow Airport. Those who signed up were paid to do training days, and received a very generous hourly rate if they attended a snow event. Problem…"
Monday
Billybop replied to Tim Bucknall's discussion Stihl blowers failing
"Hi yes I still have my 6500 Ego too, kept in case the newer one ever failed, but it hasn't. Had the 5 hundred-something cfm one before that, now flogged to a mate who loves it. The LB8800 is hovering around the £300 mark on amazon including import…"
Saturday
Sam Bainbridge replied to Tim Bucknall's discussion Stihl blowers failing
"Just change to a backpack, br800 7yrs and not even a sparkplug yet"
Saturday
Clive replied to Tim Bucknall's discussion Stihl blowers failing
"Stop using BG86s absolutely years ago first ego blower I had which is now my spare is the 6500 now have the 7650 which is brilliant. 
for large areas I have a back pack Stihl BR800 this combo does me "
Saturday
Adam Woods replied to Tim Bucknall's discussion Stihl blowers failing
"I use a BGA50 - with 3 batteries rotating... each lasts around an hour - there is an AP version which probably has much better batteries. Then for heavy duty work a BR500. We bought that last year, and at the time looked at the BRA500 - but  with…"
Saturday
John F replied to Tim Bucknall's discussion Stihl blowers failing
"When you say lately Tim have you considered fuel contamination ? 
Generally have always used the Stihl kombi with the ( blower attachment ) as a dedicated blower .
It does play up so i take it to my repair guy who always manages to keep it going on…"
Saturday
Honey Badger replied to Tim Bucknall's discussion Stihl blowers failing
"I've watched a few videos on the 9010 serious power knocks the socks of the br850.  I'm not a fan of 4mix engines.
20yrs with a blower that's Impressive.
I haven't managed to find a local dealer for echo I'd prefer to have a look first than buy…"
Dec 12
More…

Making tax digital

Thought there might be some unaware of this. So briefly and I am not an accountant . As from 6th April 26 anyone who has income from self employment, rent from property etc or a combination that equates to a turnover of 50k or more (not profit) will…

Read more…
26 Replies · Reply by Sam Bainbridge Dec 10
Views: 884