by Rosie Peddle
Do you know your stinkhorn from your toadstool?
Tuesday, November 13, 10.30am-4pm, Hapimag Resort, Albufeira
The growth in ecotourism and a year-round interest in the natural history of the Algarve have prompted garden clubs across the Algarve to come together to sponsor this event and make it as accessible as possible.
We are delighted to welcome back Sue Parker and Pat O’Reilly, who gave excellent talks on ‘Wild Orchids & Fungi in the Algarve’ earlier this year.
At this event, we will hear about the natural hotspots of the Algarve. This day, focussing on the natural history of the Algarve, is free and open to all.
The event is being held to highlight the first comprehensive website dedicated to helping both residents and visitors to the Algarve with their understanding of the wonderful natural diversity we have here. We will have the authors with us for the whole day to share with us why they are so passionate about the natural history of this region.
Sue Parker will give an illustrated talk on ‘Algarve Nature – in the Wild and on the Web’ and she will focus on some of the Algarve’s finest nature sites and on the developing website at www.algarvewildlife.com. Sue welcomes contributions, making this online resource even more useful to Algarve residents and holiday visitors.
Whether your main interest is birds, wildflowers, fungi or just enjoying wonderful scenic walks in the Algarve countryside, the maps, books and online information you need are all here.
Sue’s talk will cover birds, butterflies, moths, amphibians, reptiles, rarely seen mammals and, of course, the wonderful wildflowers and orchids that make the Algarve countryside so special.
Pat O’Reilly will give an illustrated talk on ‘Fruits of the Forest’. Fungi are among the least understood organisms on our planet and he will demonstrate the amazing diversity of Algarve woodland fungi, discussing their uses, including stimulating gastric juices as well as providing important medicines, dyes and other valuable products.
Most woodland fungi are edible but some are toxic and some potential killers. This talk will show us how to identify fungi for food with complete certainty and confidence. Sun-drenched sandy beaches do little to lift the spirits of fungi fanatics… but move inland, just a few kilometres, and the variety of habitats provides a vast diversity of mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, earthballs, stinkhorns, brackets, crusts and many other fungi forms that make this such a special place.
The programme will start at 10.30am. Light snacks and lunch from the Hapimag coffee shop will be available. It is not necessary to book for lunch.
The Fungi Foray will take place after lunch. We will go out into the Hapimag gardens and grounds with Pat and Sue, and also Marilyn Kahan and Prof. Dr. Bernd Gerken from Hapimag. This will be a guided walk in groups and the fungi we find will be identified and discussed.
The Hapimag resort is at Praia de Castelo in a spectacular clifftop location, approximately 6km west of Albufeira.
|| Exploring Algarve’s natural history
Sue Parker and Pat O’Reilly are the authors of a very popular range of small books on the natural history of the Algarve and these will be for sale on the day and are also available on the web site.
They will also lead another Fungi Foray on Saturday, November 17 at a different location in the Algarve. This will be carefully chosen to complement the Hapimag visit but provide an insight into a different part of the Algarve. If you wish to have more details or book a place for this, contact Rosie Peddle as in main article.
|| features@algarveresident.com
289 791 869
