Phenology

If the database is analysed by the number of records per CHEGD group for the week number they were recorded in, it gives a picture of when to expect to see grassland fungi. It is not easy to demonstrate graphically as the autumn peaks are so large compared to weeks outside this that that data becomes invisible. The key take aways from the table below are:

  • We have records of grassland fungi in Ireland for every month of the year except April
  • Records dominate from mid October to the start of December but they can appear more commonly from August
  • The peak week for Fairy Clubs, Waxcaps, Pink Gills and Crazed Gills is week 44 which usually starts on 05 November
  • The peak week for Earth tongues is a week later
  • There is an impression amongst recorders that the Pink Gills are earlier and if the dataset for the whole of the British Isles is analysed in the same way, the Pink Gill peak is a week earlier than that of the Fairy Clubs and Waxcaps. There is a danger in this respect of positive feedback in that people can go looking for grassland fungi when they expect to see them therefore these statistics can be biased especially when there are paid surveys.
Week NoExample DateCHEGD
108/01/202618120
215/01/202600010
322/01/202602000
429/01/202600020
505/02/202602000
612/02/202601000
719/02/202611000
826/02/202602000
905/03/202600000
1012/03/202601100
1119/03/202600000
1226/03/202600000
1302/04/202600000
1409/04/202600000
1516/04/202600000
1623/04/202600000
1730/04/202600000
1807/05/202600100
1914/05/202600000
2021/05/202603100
2128/05/202601100
2204/06/202601400
2311/06/202600000
2418/06/202602000
2525/06/202602000
2602/07/202606100
2709/07/202606100
2816/07/202608400
2923/07/20260111000
3030/07/202609000
3106/08/2026240601
3213/08/20265832000
3320/08/20266551300
3427/08/202671235200
3503/09/2026181003800
3610/09/2026181495574
3717/09/2026442116678
3824/09/2026563427693
3901/10/20265829489158
4008/10/202689474109168
4115/10/20261215861412319
4222/10/20261739651377525
4329/10/2026274137216015238
4405/11/2026402267332623350
4512/11/2026329253322927431
4619/11/202613511134611811
4726/11/20268757722667
4803/12/2026302344240
4910/12/2026111742161
5017/12/20267310160
5124/12/2026513050
5231/12/202607010
5307/01/2027029010