Mushroom hunters name Wakefield's Seckar Wood as a hotspot for rare fungi

Brad Parsk and his partner Lydia found a mutual passion for the hobby in their first year of dating.

Mushroom hunting is the art of searching for, photographing and identifying mushrooms and other fungi, preferably without disturbing them or their surroundings.

Now, the two mushroom hunters, who both have a background in biology, have claimed that Wakefield’s own Seckar Wood is “home to some of their best finds.”

Their recent hunt at the local woodland shone light on almost ten species, which, while not new to science, were new to them.

Their findings included the woolly milkcap, various oysterlings, an array of of bracket fungus and inkcaps and various earthballs.

However, the pair, who live at Methley near Leeds, have said their best find was a single tree with dozens of polypores growing up it with the fascinating bracket fungus living on the side of the tree itself and sticking out like a little shelf.

"This just goes to show how important small woodland areas are to the UK. They are literally havens of biodiversity and must be protected at all costs," said Brad.

"Yorkshire is a great county and we have so much here. Woodlands, swamps, grassland areas are all great for finding fungi. The more you hunt, the more adept you get. It's a great hobby for the autumn months in particular, as this is when most species can be found.”