Fungus among us! - Natural England

UK first for Sussex nature reserve – member of public stumbles on rare find.

Visitors to England’s National Nature Reserves (NNRs) now have even more reason to explore, after a remarkable discovery.

A fungus never recorded before in the UK, has been found at the 150-hectare Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve in West Sussex. It comes almost 20 years after a similar discovery in Spain.

Blue-Based Earthtongue, also known as Microglossum cyanobasis, was spotted by a member of the public in the reserve’s ancient yew woodland.

Liz Frost, the fungi enthusiast who made the discovery, said: “I was so excited to stumble upon this extraordinary tiny, delicate tongue shaped fungus while exploring at Kingley Vale National Nature Reserve. Little did I know, I had just made the first ever UK sighting of the Blue-Based Earthtongue.”

The fungus is hard to spot. Small, well-camouflaged, and easy to miss. It’s about 45-55mm tall with delicate, fragile stems. What makes this species stand out is its subtle bluish-green coloration, especially near the base. This tint is quite unusual among fungi and helps experts distinguish it from close relatives. The species partly gets its name from cyanobasis, meaning blue base.

This exciting find serves as a reminder that these protected spaces still hold secrets, and that careful stewardship of the natural environment continues to yield extraordinary results.