Two events you need to know about if you want to learn more about fungi:

Firstly:

Bruce Langridge will be giving a talk entitled Wild Fungi – Friend or Foe? at 7.30pm on Wednesday October 4th at the Capel Newydd Vestry Hall, Crescent Road, Llandeilo SA19 6HN.  It’s opposite the big car park in Crescent Road, with free parking after 6pm.

In Britain, fungi have long been viewed with suspicion, associated with poison, decay and “loose morals”. But in recent decades, their huge importance in looking after our plants, habitats and many aspects of the planet’s ecology has been revealed. This talk will shine more light on this once secret world. Wales is particularly well endowed with many species of fungi, and at the NBGW there are some species with the same conservation status as snow leopards and other well known rare species.

This talk has been arranged by the E. Carmarthenshire Local Group of the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW).  Please consider joining the Trust if you’re not already a member, details will be available at the talk for those interested.  Entry is free, but donations to pay for refreshments (tea, coffee, biscuits) will be very welcome.

Another date for your diary is October 18th, when the group’s annual fundraising public lecture will be given at the same  venue by Ben Allen of WTSWW, and Ben will be giving a talk on the Mid-Wales Red Squirrel Partnership.

Secondly:

The National Botanic Gardens of Wales is hosting an event for UK Fungus Day.

Some of their fungi are very special. They have wild mushrooms found nowhere else in Wales and at Waun Las National Nature Reserve there is a meadow that has an internationally important collection of multi coloured wax cap fungi. For the special UK wide event, there will be two fungi focussed guided toures, a display of fungi from South Wales and microscopes to see the tiniest of fascinating features of this most mysterious of life forms.

• 10.30-11.30am: Join the Botanic Garden’s Bruce Langridge and Emily Ivens for an insider’s look at the fungi of the lawns, trees and flower beds.
• 12.30-2pm: Join expert mycologist Emma Williams, renowned for her ability to spot the rarest and most obscure wild fungi, for a wider view of the Botanic Garden. You can hear a special podcast with Emma here. 

The walks are freee but standard admission charges to the gardens apply. You don’t have to pre-book. Walks begin from the Gatehouse.

Separately, there will be another post soon about our own CMG Autumn Meeting, to be held in Pumsaint Memorial Hall on Saturday 14th October starting at 10.00am.  Please put this in your diary in big capital letters.