Rare mushroom find in Alderney sparks push to record wildlife

An Alderney ecologist is emphasising the importance of recording wildlife following her discovery of a rare mushroom.

Niamh McDevitt, from the Alderney Wildlife Trust (AWT), found one of the rarest fungi in the British Isles for the first time on the Channel Island in November.

Ms McDevitt said finding the date waxcap had been “very exciting”.

She added: “I’m sure they’ve been seen other times or people might not have even realised what they were looking for which just shows the importance of recording everything that you find.”

Niamh said it was “quite obvious stood out in the grass” with its bright colours.

After finding the mushroom, Niamh took photos and recorded it on a species identification app, where others verified her sighting.

She said she was encouraging others to record their sightings too to feed back into records for the island.

She said: “It’s just important to know what’s on the island and you never know what you will find.”

Niamh said she usually monitored seabirds on Alderney, but recently taken an interest in mushrooms and fungi.

“You never know, you could be the first to discover one on an island or elsewhere,” Ms McDevitt said.