About Us
The Buckinghamshire Fungus Group was set up in 1998 to promote the recording of fungi in the County and from small beginnings has gradually developed into one of the most active groups in the country, attracting a membership of around 200 since the early 2020s. The importance of fungi to bio-diversity and conservation has been increasingly recognized during this time. The Group is an amateur volunteer-based organization basically funded by members' annual subscriptions which cover attendance at all our activities. The arrival of DNA molecular sequencing onto the mycological scene in recent years, and in which we now fully participate, has brought about the need for further funds. These have been supplied not only by voluntary contributions from members but also from time to time by grants from the British Mycological Society (BMS), the Bucks & Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre (BMERK), the Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), with a significant grant from the City of London Corporation (CoLC) for survey work undertaken by more experienced members. The extra funds have meant that subscriptions have remained really low - in fact one of the lowest for a group of this type.
Kingdom Fungi forms a large, important and unique kingdom, distinct from both plants and animals but intimately linked into the natural environment. Fungi make up a substantial part of natural bio-diversity and are found in almost every imaginable habitat. When we see a fungus we are seeing merely the spore-bearing body of an infinitely more extensive organism which is out of sight and made up of literally miles of microscopic threads radiating throughout the soil, leaf litter, wooden log or whatever substrate the organism is living in, in its search for nutrients. The number of known species of fungi worldwide is vast, with more than 15,000 species in Britain alone and many more awaiting discovery. We identify what is there by observing just this visible part of the organism (be it mushroom, bracket, puffball or whatever) but this may only appear briefly or sometimes not at all. All this makes recording fungi a challenge, with continuing observation over many years the only way to discover what is there.
Our group also has a keen contingent of members who study and record Slime Moulds which though similar in many ways to fungi in fact belong to Kingdom Protista (though in past years were included in Kingdom Fungi thus traditionally recorded by mycologists).
Since 1998, BFG has added many thousands of records to the county fungus list covering more than a thousand different species, a good proportion of which we have recorded in Bucks for the first time. No previous experience in recognising fungi is needed to be of great help on our walks! All you need is an enquiring mind and a general interest in natural history, though those with a good knowledge of plants are particularly useful when it comes to assessing the fungus / plant association - often vital in identification of the fungus. If you enjoy photography then fungi make excellent subjects.
Although collecting to eat is not one of our objectives (and is not permitted at some of the sites we visit), discovering how to recognize fungi with other experienced people is by far the best way to learn, providing a good basis for reliable identification.
Anyone interested in becoming a member of BFG and joining us on our fungi walks would be very welcome.
Click here for membership details