Welcome to the refreshed Scottish Fungi website. Note that some pages are still in the process of being formatted to the new design.
The following hints and tips are not intended to be prescriptive but do try to offer best practice wherever possible. In general they are based on common sense but they might provide some food for thought and helpful foundations upon which to lay your own distinctive interpretive skills.
Forays should be fun, allow for knowledge swapping and contribute to our understanding of fungal distribution - a well run foray should enable all this to happen. Whether or not picking for the pot is a part of what you want your foray to be is up to you but should be made clear in any publicity that you release.
Like most presentations, a foray only works well if you take into account the audience that it is delivering to. This is important not only in terms of the information that is given out but also the physical needs of those attending. A foray for the general public will require a different delivery of information than a foray with your own group of recording friends. The physical requirements of any group also need to be thought about; the availability of parking, toilets, timings, the sort of terrain involved, the length of the proposed walk, whether the participants are suitably dressed for a slow walk in the autumn etc etc can be as important to the success of the foray as assessing whether the group can take on board more than half a dozen scientific names without glazing over.
In general the most likely groups that you will be foraying with are:
local recording group
general public which often includes family groups
local natural history groups
education groups - primary, secondary or further
Local recording group:
How you arrange these forays is entirely up to the group concerned and different groups will make different decisions about this. Some groups choose to foray once a month or more throughout the year, others prefer to foray weekly but only during the autumn season. Some groups have one foray organizer who puts together the whole programme and undertakes to contact landowners both before and after the event. Other groups rely on individuals to take responsibility for particular forays and feed into a central administration point.
Whether or not you go for a half day or full day foray, you need to allow enough time at either end for folk to get to and from the foray in good time and not so much time in the field that everybody is overwhelmed with collections. In an ideal world it would be lovely to foray in the morning and then come back to a lab and help people look in detail at what they have collected. In reality this usually only happens at a weekend event which is centered on one location. The logistics of finding suitable work space and carrying books and microscopes around the countryside for each foray means that this is not usually a realistic option.
How you run the foray itself is also up to individual organizers but we would recommend that there should always be an introduction to the site itself - including any useful health and safely information. If you keep together as a group throughout the event, it might also be useful to suggest a lunch time and agree the time that everybody should be back at the start. It is always worth asking people to let you know if they are thinking of leaving the event early so that you are not worrying about their non-appearance at the end of the foray! Information about the size of the site and main access points/features can be very helpful to those who are not familiar with the location, particularly in the event of them getting separated from the main group. Remember that it is very easy to get disorientated when you have your head down looking for fungi, especially if you are new to the game.
Most local group forays are attended by regular forayers who know the sites and are happy to go off by themselves or in small groups to collect, meeting up with other members periodically to share their finds, swap knowledge and add to the site species list. In these circumstances, it is very easy to forget to give clear instructions about how you run the foray when somebody comes along for the first time. It can be very disconcerting to suddenly find yourself abandoned as all the regulars disappear off into the undergrowth and you are not sure who to follow or where and when everybody will re-emerge!
Whether or not you finish the foray by going through everybody's collections and discussing them is entirely up to you. Beginners will certainly appreciate a recap of some of the things that they have been shown during the course of the foray. Don't forget to remind people to send the foray organizer or group recorder the identifications of any collections that they take away with them to work on at home.
General public:
There are as many ways to run and organize a public foray as there are to run a local group foray. Dates and times will often be set by whoever is requesting your services but it is surprising how vague people can be with regard to what they actually want you to deliver and being clear about what you want to do is important.
The choice of title for the foray will set the scene and will be the banner under which the foray is advertised. Something like 'Fungi: fact or fiction' or 'Fungi: friend or foe' suggests that the focus will be on fungi in general whereas 'Collecting edible wild fungi' suggests a very different focus. Whatever you call the foray though, you will need to be prepared for the inevitable question 'Can I eat it?' Leaders responses to this can vary from the cautious ' I can't tell you that you personally can eat this - some people are allergic to shop mushrooms, but it is generally considered to be a good edible species' to something much more positive if you are confident and particularly interested in eating fungi. Very occasionally you will need 'Yes, but only once!'
Two hours seems a good length - long enough to give information and allow time for people to collect for themselves, without being so long that anybody starts to get bored. Many non-specialists worry about leading forays because they do not feel confident in identifying what people find. In fact, with a bit of background knowledge about fungal ecology and folklore you can lead an informative and interesting foray and only need to identify a few common species that you have picked out in advance. The worst sort of public foray is where an 'expert' sets off and just reels off the scientific names of every fungus that is shown to them, often just to the people within earshot. Half a dozen completely new scientific names is usually more than most people can cope with and at the end of such a walk, some people may take away a couple of identifications but little else. If a walk can give people some understanding of how fungi function and why they are so important in the natural habitat - and indeed in the commercial world of people, that is surely more valuable.
If you are relying on your hosts to show you the route, make sure that they have not planned a 'long' walk. In general 1 kilometer is far enough especially if you want to allow time for collecting.
A possible walk framework:
Introduction - who you are and how the foray will proceed (outline of what you will talk about and the promise of time to collect), when and where you will finish (even if that is on the brochure, people still ask). Any H&S information e.g. ticks/lymes, waterways/Weils, dog dirt (you might like to point out that the area immediately around the car park will be particularly well endowed with this!), slippery paths, branches at eye level etc. It can be useful to reassure people that fungal toxins cannot be absorbed through the skin and that washing your hands before you next eat as you would normally do after being outside is sufficient to prevent any problems. This stops parents being overly worried about their children touching fungi and children are just natural finders and gatherers and full of enthusiasm- a great asset on a foray. Note, all young people under the age of 18 should have an adult with them (see section on Criminal Records Bureau and Independent Safeguarding Authority under 'Responsibilities' below).
It is usually good to have several places where you can gather the whole group together and talk to the group as a whole. Ideally this will be away from running water,a busy road or other source of background noise - it is difficult for people to hear in those situations. It is also helpful if it is suitable for the younger forayers to be able to move about and see what they can find, whilst being in view of their parents - even the most fascinating talk on fungal ecology is unlikely to hold their attention. With a small group you can be much more flexible with your stops - as people find things, but having a framework does help you to present the information in a logical manner and you only have to explain it once. Never be afraid to make and use crib cards - they can be a great help.
Stop 1 - What are fungi? What is it that we see - just the fruit body. Explain purpose of the fruit body and mycelium.
Stop 2 - How fungi function - why they are important in the woodland. Mycorrhizas, recyclers, parasites
Stop 3 - Depending on what species you find, a bit about fungi in our culture and fungal uses / folklore
Stop 4 - How to collect and the important features to look for on a mushroom or toadstool. 'How the mushroom got its spots' is always a favourite activity at this point.
Stop 5 - Time to let people have a play. Choose an area of open woodland which is easily accessible to young and old. Suggest 10/20/whatever you think appropriate minutes collecting time and then meet back at an easily recognisable spot - which is where you stay so that folk can ask questions, come back early or whatever. Talk through the collections once people have returned. you can pick up on many of the point that you have spoken about earlier and link them together at this point.
Remember to allow time to walk back to the finish - it is really important to get back on time as people may have other commitments.
A word about names:
The Linnaean binomial system of naming living organisms i.e Genus species - Amanita muscaria is the internationally accepted way to recognize a particular organism, and to express its relatedness to other organisms. There are strict rules about creating new scientific names or altering existing ones. Anybody who wants to get really involved in their fungi will sooner or later have to start grappling with the Latin and recognizing the scientific names - something that is acquired with surprising ease with repetition and over time.
It is recognized however that in some circumstances being presented with a long list of unfamiliar scientific names (everybody can manage Tyrannosaurus rex or Rhododendron ponticum as they are both frequently referred to in our culture) can be overwhelming and off putting. A public foray is one of those circumstances. Even if people have only a casual interest in the fungi when they come on a public foray, it is important that they go away feeling that fungi are fun and important rather than their overwhelming impression being that they would never be able to take fungi seriously because there are too many long Latin names.
The English language contains very few vernacular names for fungi which could be used alongside scientific names and to try and address this problem, in 2003 Plantlife International published a booklet 'Recommended English Names for Fungi'. This was the start of a longer term project supported by the British Mycological Society to create recommended English names for all of our fungi. The 2003 list is of nearly 1000 species (vernacular names have been kept where available) - half are of the most commonly encountered species and half are of the rarer species, complete beginners are not the only ones to be overwhelmed, conservation staff trying to deal with rare species of all sorts of different groups can also have problems! It is possible to access these names online and, if you are interested, contribute suggestions for new names to the project. The existing list is a wonderful resource to use on public forays - people seem to like them - and you can just slip in the scientific name as a sort of background familiarization exercise!
At some point it would also be wonderful to try and pull together all the known Gaelic names for fungi - Puddockstools is about as far as we have got - but that's another story.
Local Natural History Groups:
In general the recommendations for public forays will apply.
Education Groups:
see Education section.
PIcking wild fungi, the law and you
The rights, wrongs and legalities of picking wild fungi is a complex issue and the following is not a legal document. It rather attempts to pull together such information as has already been published and is pertinent to this issue.
A booklet produced by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Office in 1998 (see reference to up to date version below) 'Scotland's Wildlife: the law and you' suggests the following in response to the question 'Can I pick wild fungi?'
'Fungi (including mushrooms and toadstools) are not strictly plants but are classified as such under law. Mushrooms and toadstools are, in fact, only the fruiting body and most of the plant (known as the mycelium) is actually buried. Picking mushrooms and toadstools does not constitute uprooting and is not an offence. However, you should seek permission from whoever owns the land, and it may be an offence to sell on the fungi collected.'
Whilst this does cause a few cringes to those of us who spend our time convincing everybody that fungi are in a completely separate kingdom to the plants, in general it offers good advice. It also makes some sense, from a fungal perspective, of the more recent publication of the same title, from Scottish Natural Heritage in 2009, which contains the following information beneath the subtitle 'Plants and Fungi':
'It is an offence to:
uproot any wild plant, unless you have the permission of the owner or occupier of the land
pick or destroy a specially protected plant
possess, sell or advertise for sale a specially protected species of plant, or any part of it
A full list of protected plants (including European protected species) is available on our website at www.snh.org.uk '
The protected fungal species are listed under plants in Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and comprise four species, only one of which is known from Scotland as of Feb. 2010:
Battarrea phalloides (Sandy Stiltball)
Boletus regius (Royal Bolete)
Buglossosporus (now known as Piptoporus) quercinus (Oak Polypore)- has a limited Scottish distribution
Hericium erinaceus (Bearded Tooth)
It would be illegal to remove or damage any part of any one of these species without a license from Scottish Natural Heritage or the Scottish Government.
The Scottish Wild Mushroom Code was created in 2003 by the Scottish Wild Mushroom forum (a group set up for this purpose and consisting of representatives of conservation organizations, landowners, public land owning bodies, mushroom pickers and mushroom buyers)to offer advice on how to collect wild mushrooms sustainably. It is currently being reprinted to bring it up to date with changes in access legislation.
Access rights and responsibilities
The Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC), which is the detailed guidance to the changes in access legislation brought about by Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, offers the following advice (Section 5) about collecting wild fungi and berries:
'Customary picking of wild fungi and berries for your own consumption is not affected by the legislation. Care for the environment by following any agreed guidance on this activity (see Scottish Wild Mushroom Code). However, being on or crossing land or water for the purpose of taking away, for commercial purposes or for profit, anything in or on the land or water is excluded from access rights.'
SOAC specifically refers to access rights relating to recreational and educational events. Paragraph 2.8 states:
'People carrying out field surveys of the natural or cultural heritage, such as of birds or plants, as a recreational activity or for educational purposes, are covered by access rights'
and this is further qualified in paragraph 3.64 'Undertaking Surveys':
'Access rights extend to individuals undertaking surveys of the natural or cultural heritage where these surveys have a recreational or educational purpose within the meaning of the legislation. A small survey done by a few individuals is unlikely to cause any problems or concerns, provided that people living or working nearby are not alarmed by your presence. if you are organizing a survey which is intensive over a small area or requires frequent repeat visits, or a survey that will require observation over a few days in the same place, consult the relevant land manager (s) about any concerns they might have and tell them about what you are surveying, for what purpose and for how long. If the survey requires any equipment or instruments to be installed, seek the permission of the relevant land managers.'
If you are running a business which utilises access rights further guidance is given in paragraph 3.62.
Section 3 of SOAC explains how you can exercise these access rights responsibly and as a foray organizer you need to be aware of this. Contacting the land managers in advance of a visit gives them the opportunity to tell you whether or not they will be undertaking any land management activities in the area that could put your party at risk or whether your presence could interfere with their legitimate business. It also gives you the opportunity to raise the profile of fungi by offering to send them a list of what you find along with a brief paragraph explaining their significance. We would strongly recommend that you follow this advice.
SSSIs and other nature reserves
Don't forget that there may be particular restrictions to collecting wild fungi on nature reserves. Certainly if your proposed foray site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (find out here) then the landowner will most likely need to contact their local Scottish Natural Heritage office to obtain a statement of consent before allowing lifting of wild fungi.
Risk assessments and first aid
We recommend that risk assessments are carried out for each foray / event that you arrange. Some simple examples of how this can be achieved are available. The discipline of assessing the different potential hazards of each site is sound and basic health and safely information should be given at the beginning of every foray. On most occasions knowing the location of the nearest public telephone because you have poor mobile reception at a site will not be important, but on the one occasion that you really do need to know, these forms will become invaluable. Don't forget that the car park and any roads that you cross will probably be amongst the most dangerous areas that you encounter during the day!
It is also very useful to have a trained first aider on the foray. If you do not have up to date first aid training, It is not good practice to carry a first aid kit and use it on a member of the public. There are some excellent first aid courses available, some of which are aimed at people working out of doors, for example the British Association of Ski Patrollers (BASP) run a range of courses at different venues throughout the UK.
Insurance
Sooner or later you will be asked whether or not you have public liability insurance cover for your event. Cover should be for at least £5,000,000. Local recording groups can access this sort of insurance through either the British Mycological Society or the Association of British Fungus Groups (check out any particular conditions that these organizations might attach to your cover). As long as your foray is then done under the auspices of your local recording group you would then be covered by that insurance. If you are running a foray for a different organization then it is very likely that you would be covered by that organization's own public liability insurance - it is always worth checking though. It is also possible to take out your own personal public liability insurance - a good insurance broker should be able to advise you on this.
Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA)
The British Mycological Society issued the following information to local recording group leaders at a meeting in June 2010:
' The contact that the Group's have with children or vulnerable adults is not enough to meet eligibility criteria of CRB checks or ISA referral.
It is assumed that children or vulnerable adults attend forays with their parents / guardian (it may be that a Group ONLY allows children or vulnerable adults to attend forays if accompanied by parent or guardian); forays are not targeted at children and it is therefore incidental that children are in the goup. It is not the responsibility of the foray organiser / fungus group to be responsible for the child, it is the parents / guardians.
A fungus group that arranges special ad hoc meetings / forays with specific groups eg Scouts / Brownies / Schools (where the group member is a provider of knowledge and NOT a carer) does not meet the minimum criteria for CRB or ISA. In these instances it is recommended that groups develop their own guidelines on conduct so that they can provide, as far as possible, good practice e.g. that foray experts are not to be alone with a / any child(ren). The guardianship / responsibility for the children remains with the Scouts / Brownies / School etc.
Further information about CRB and ISA can be found on their websites. '