Rare Fungi of the Dales

Beautiful bonnet is a small mushroom which smells faintly of chlorine and is most likely to be seen in Spring or Summer on rotten Ash or Oak wood on a woodland floor. Its cap is flesh coloured, it has whitish-pink gills and a golden yellow hollow stem.

In Britain there are 14 records for this species, covering six vice county areas but centred on Sussex. It was first recorded in 1905 and most recently recorded in 2002. In the Yorkshire Dales National Park there has only been one record made for this species to date. This was in 1922 near Buckden in Upper Wharfedale. One possible conservation strategy for this species is to encourage woodland managers to leave a larger proportion of lying deadwood in woodlands which would have positive benefits for a number of species. With Beautiful bonnet in mind this strategy would be particularly beneficial in Upland Ash woodlands and Oak woodlands in the Buckden area of the National Park. If you are interested in finding out more about fungi look out for fungal forays organised by the Yorkshire Dales Society, the Craven Conservation Group, or the Wharfedale Naturalists Society or join the Mid-Yorkshire Fungus Group.