National Botanic Garden of Wales – Wales Fungus Day

Wales Fungus Day

October 14^th promises to be a fung-tastic day at the National Botanic Garden of Wales’ for their 7^th annual Wales Fungus Day. A venue that knows how to put the fun into fungi, visitors will find a mix of science, fun, art and magic here that will appeal to anyone curious about the strangebut fascinating kingdom of fungi.

With a fab programme of talks and guided walks, visitors to Wales Fungus Day can pick up some handy basic identification techniques and find out what fungi you can eat – and what you really shouldn’t eat – and get tips about how to grow edible mushrooms on books, straw, logs and even old coffee beans.

There’ll be an array of trade and activity stalls in the Botanic Garden’s iconic Great Glasshouse, including woodworkers, crafters, and mushroom activities for all – which shouldn’t take up too ‘mushroom’ in the world’s largest single-span glasshouse! Outdoors, the National Botanic Garden of Wales is a great place to come and look for wild fungi, and you’ll find all types of mushroom-friendly habitat here – woods, fields, lawns and flower beds.

There’s even a meadow that has an internationally important collection of multi-coloured waxcap fungi. People concerned about the ash dieback fungal disease that is killing many of our Welsh ash trees can also find out the research Botanic Garden is taking part in to understand this devastating threat.

Event organiser Bruce Langridge says:

“Our Wales Fungus Day has been such a hit that the concept has mushroomed into a UK Fungus Day event spread across over 80 venues in the UK. We know how important it is to make Fungus Day appeal to all ages and abilities, as this fascinating and mysterious lifeform is a crucial part of our ecosystem and yet very few people understand or appreciate its value. It’s our job as a national botanic garden to excite interest and to spread knowledge about the wonderful world of fungi.”

Younger visitors will love the fungi face painting, wooden toadstool making and fungi themed activities throughout the day. They’ll also have the chance to explore the fungi-rich Fairy Wood where they can look for signs of domestic fairy life and post a letter to the fairies in the fairy village. Ballet lovers will also enjoy fairy and fungi inspired performances by Llangain Youth Ballet and there’s free Garden entry to anyone dressed as a fairy or elf to this magical day!

If you’d like to brush up on your fungi knowledge before Wales Fungus Day, there’s a Getting to know your Garden Fungi course on Wednesday, October the 10^th, led by the Garden’s Head of Interpretation and originator of UK Fungus Day, Bruce Langridge.  This event is part of the National Botanic Garden of Wales’ Growing the Future project. This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

The Garden is open from 10am to 6pm with last entry at 5pm. Admission to the Garden is £14.40 (including Gift Aid) for adults and this includes entry to the new British Birds of Prey attraction. Under 5s are free and parking is free for all.

For more information about this or other events, please call 01558 667149 or email gtf@gardenofwales.org.uk.

For a full programme of walks and talks, please visit botanicgarden.wales.

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