19/01/2026
These gorgeous pink mushrooms are one of my all-time favorite finds! 💗
I saw them popping up in the Insta feeds of folks from Europe, where they are a grassland species, specifically old, agriculturally unimproved short grasslands such as pastures and lawns. I wanted to see one IRL so badly!! 🥹
Because of habitat loss due to changes in agricultural practices, the ballerina waxcap is a species of global conservation concern, listed as “vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and on the red lists of threatened fungi in several European countries.
It is one of 33 fungi proposed for international protection under the Bern Convention, an international conservation treaty to protect both species and habitats.
The North American species inhabits woodlands and has found to be a distinct species from European populations.
My observations on iNaturalist are the only 2 in Vermont, with only 417 observations in the U.S. and 1358 observations globally to date.
I check the same places every year around the same time hoping they’ll be there but have only seen them once. I feel truly blessed to have been at the right place at the right time to witness these rare beauties!
🆔 Porpolomopsis calyptriformis f. calyptriformis
