Eastbourne Group - October events

Fungi Identification on Chailey Common

Our greatly anticipated outing to Chailey Common proved to be a great success thanks mainly to our two expert guides, Janet and Jim Howell. We explored the fungi found in three distinct habitats; Oak woodland, Birch and Willow copse and open grassland. 

Numerous Earthballs and Common Bonnet fungi were associated with the Oak trees, Fly Agaric and both Birch and Willow Polypores were abundant in the copse, but the grassland proved to be the richest area with five different species of waxcap present, plus some very large parasols. Finally a visit to the churchyard was rewarded with more waxcaps and a beautiful Coral Fungus. By the time we had finished our walk we had a list of over twenty different fungal species.

Sussex Kelp Recovery Project

Our evening talk by George Short, Kelp Recovery Coordinator, focused on the progress being made by the Sussex Kelp Recovery Group in increasing the biodiversity of Sussex coastal waters. By the late 1980s, over 95% of the kelp beds had disappeared. Limiting commercial fishing has allowed areas of kelp to recover. This in turn has resulted in a marked increase in the abundance of various species, including commercial fish and crustaceans. Thus, the recovery of the kelp is helping the local economy as well as marine biodiversity. The large number of questions from the audience at the end of George’s informative and enthusiastic presentation was a good indication of how much a healthy marine environment means to local residents.