Nail Fungus Poronia punctata in Norfolk, and possible factors affecting its appearance at Hockwold Heath and Cranwich Camp

The Nail Fungus Poronia punctata is a distinctive species that occurs on the dung of horses and, much less commonly, that of other herbivores. It may have been quite widespread before the middle of the 20th century but since then has been almost restricted to the New Forest. Recently, however, it has been recorded more widely in southern England, including Norfolk, probably as a consequence of the increasing use of ponies for conservation grazing where they are used to prevent scrub encroachment. Poronia punctata is designated as Near Threatened on the UK Fungi Red Data List (Evans et al. 2006) and is a Biodiversity Action Plan species.
In this study, factors affecting its appearance on pony dung, including the nature of the vegetation and the condition of the dung, were investigated.