The UK’s biggest citizen science fungi survey – Plantlife’s Waxcap Watch – has revealed hundreds of new sites for some of the nation’s rarest and most striking grassland fungi.

Three hundred new locations of Pink Waxcap Porpolomopsis calyptriformis classed as “Vulnerable” on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and known for its candypink cap, and 18 new locations of Violet Coral Clavaria zollingeri a rare species recognised for its vibrant violet branching structure, were revealed in data analysed from 2020 – 2024.

These discoveries represent a major leap in knowledge. Before Waxcap Watch, just over 1,000 Pink Waxcap and 183 Violet Coral sites were recorded in the British Mycological Society’s database. The latest findings have significantly expanded these totals – with many new records coming from surprising places, including cemeteries, gardens and farmland around Bangor in North Wales and in the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors national parks.