Steve Docker is a Resource Development Officer with Field Studies Council Publications. Here he talks to mycologist Geoffrey Kibby to find out more about his fascination with fungi. They also discuss the release of the new WildID Distinctive grassland fungi guide.
Geoffrey Kibby has a passion for identifying fungi in the wild. He is an experienced mycologist, talented artist and author. He has produced many fungi identification books and is an associate researcher at Kew. This year he was awarded the Benefactors’ Medal for outstanding service to the British Mycological Society. I have known Geoffrey for many years, he is easy to talk too and a very patient tutor. He has taught me a great deal about fungi.
Last year, Geoffrey and I co-authored two WildID Distinctive fungi guides (OP213 & OP214). Their success inspired us to produce another fungi guide this year, 2024. This time we have worked together on the new WildID Distinctive grassland fungi. As previously, Geoffrey provided all of the fungi drawings.
I put a few questions to him …
What is the new guide all about? Why do we need another guide?
Many fungi are very specific as to where they grow, what soil type they like, what trees are present etc. Some of the most beautiful fungi are those that grow in grasslands. These include the brightly coloured waxcaps, corals, etc which are now known to be good indicators of undisturbed, important areas of meadow and pasture. Old churchyards are often also good areas for unimproved grasslands.
The species are now used by environmental agencies to evaluate the potential of an area of grassland, using what is called the CHEGD system (pronounced Cheg-D). The letters of this acronym represent the first letter of each of the main groups, so C for clubs, H for Hygrophoraceae (waxcaps), etc. The new guide indicates which group each species belongs to. Many of the most common species you can expect to see in a good meadow are included in the chart.
Explain about your work and your interests. What fungi-based activities do you currently do?
My current work includes being the senior editor of the journal Field Mycology, a quarterly journal aimed at British and European enthusiasts of all levels of experience. I am also working on a series of illustrated field guides of which four volumes are completed. The fifth and final volume is underway. These include paintings by myself produced both traditionally with watercolour pencils and digitally on an iPad.
Along with those projects I am also working with a colleague, Mario Tortelli, to produce the most complete work on the genus Russula in Britain. It will be a mammoth 500+ page A4 book with keys and descriptions of all the British species, illustrated with copious photographs and paintings. I am busier now than before I retired!
How did you first get involved with fungi? Who or what inspired you?
I have always been interested in all aspects of natural history since I was a small child but with a particular interest in insects. This eventually led to my working as an entomologist at the Natural History Museum in London for some 10 years followed by 6 years working for CABI, an international agency concerned with crop pests, etc.
My interest in fungi began around age 12-13 when I was convalescing from surgery. Having nothing else to do for a few weeks I wandered into the woods (this was in Norfolk) and found my first fungus, the beautiful violet Laccaria amethystina. By the time I was in my late teens I was leading forays for the Essex Field Club and eventually became the county recorder of fungi.
I have tutored numerous courses over many years including for Field Studies Council, mainly at Flatford Mill and Preston Montford. Before long I was writing books (over 25 titles over the years), lecturing and tutoring both here and in America (where I lived for six years) and have continued writing ever since.
Best known for his mycology Geoffrey has three insect species named after him. Two tiger beetles from southeast Asia, Cylindera kibbyana and Polyrhamis kibbyi, and a thrips Nanothrips kibbyi, which he discovered in the Seychelles.
What is your favourite fungi species, and why?
That is very difficult, my favourite genera are Russula, Cortinarius and the boletes. The first two are very large groups, with 155 Russula species and probably 400+ Cortinarius species. I like the intellectual challenge of trying to identify these difficult groups. The boletes are much easier and often very large and beautifully coloured and are my favourite species to illustrate.
What is your favourite place for finding fungi?
My ‘hunting ground’ has always been Epping Forest, since I was 13. I am fortunate to have a licence to conduct scientific surveys of the species there (picking of fungi there is otherwise forbidden). About 30% of the total species list for the larger fungi have been discovered there by me. Apart from that ancient forest then Scotland has always been a favourite place to visit and look for fungi.
What are your fungi ‘magic moments’?
The unexpected joy of looking in some small scrap of woodland which at first sight appears not very interesting and then you find some amazing species, perhaps new to Britain or otherwise rare. And then there are those rare years, perhaps less than one in ten when the forest seems to explode with fungi so that there are too many to hope to identify. That is the magic of fungi: you never know what to expect, what may appear round the next corner. It is surprisingly easy to find species never recorded in Britain before; myself and my colleagues add at least 6-10 species to the British list every year.
Do you have any advice for someone wishing to know more about fungi? What is your top tip for success?
Start small, don’t expect to be able to identify everything. Most books only have a fraction of the total number of British species (which is about 3000-4000 at least!) so many finds will not appear in any of your books.
Pick a small group which can be mostly identified in the field. Boletes are the ideal beginners group; often brightly coloured, large and rarely requiring anything more than a good field guide.
Once you have more experience in the art of identification (it is an art as much as a science), and what characters are important to look for, then you can progress to more difficult groups. Painting or drawing fungi is a great way to memorise the important visual features of a fungus.
Is there anything else you would like to add about the new guide, or fungi in general?
Guides such as WildID can present a shortcut to important groups of species based on habitat. Plus of course they are easier and lighter to carry than a traditional field guide. Fungi are now being recognised as vital parts of our ecosystems, many living in association with trees and shrubs, others a vital part of the food chain for other organisms such as the numerous invertebrates that live in them and feed on them. Mycology, the study of fungi, is a never-ending study and once you embark on it you will be hooked forever!
Want to learn more?
Check out Fascinating fungi blog (Nov 2023). There is a digital fungi Identikit multi-access key and an online Quizlet learning aid, both available at: eclectic-ecologist.com. In addition, Field Studies Council have a wide range of courses, both at field centres and online.
Field Studies Council has been publishing identification guides for over 40 years. These include WildID fold-out guides and Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals & Plants (AIDGAP).