When I think about fungi, I conjure up images of fairies, folk music and magic while others think of fungal diseases, mustiness and rot... What's the real story?
Welcome to my fifth blog in which I share all things fascinating about fungi. This post touches on a range of topics from fairies to dinosaurs, from fungal sex to the significance of the mighty fungi as a climate warrior.
You may never eat the humble mushroom again without considering at least some of these talking points. You might even follow my lead and fall head-first into a rabbit hole to find an absurd world of all things alternative and fungal related.
Curious? Then read on...
DO FAIRIES LIVE IN YOUR GARDEN?
I am pretty sure fairies live in our garden, but I confess, I have never actually seen them, have you?
From the stories I have read and the drawings I have seen, fairies are believed to be enchanting folk, petite, fun, mischievous and magical. They live amongst mushrooms and toadstools and are a positive force within the forests and woodlands.
From a young age, I was a believer in fairies. Every Autumn, my grandparents would pack my brothers and I into the back of their Nissan Cherry car accompanied by a thermos of tea, a picnic blanket and a packet of mint humbugs. We would take a drive to Angley Woods in Cranbrook, Kent, England. It was close to where we lived and is an ancient woodland of oak, beech and birch. Grandad would take his camera for he was a keen photographer, and together we would spend hours exploring the damp, muddy pathways, peeking under fallen branches, searching out rotten wood and decaying leaves in the hope of spotting toadstools and the infamous fairies that lived there. The danker and darker the day, the better for our silent hunt for those magical mushrooms. Perhaps grandad would even capture a photo of a fairy?
Cranbrook is now some 20,000km away as I live on the east coast of New Zealand, but the joy I felt in finding those beautiful fungi in amongst the fusty, musty woodland is embedded deep within my soul. So much so, that every autumn I undertake my own silent hunt for toadstools and fairies in my adopted country. AND, to my absolute delight, found a collection of toadstools hiding in plain sight, in my own garden - just nestled between my compost bin and broccoli beds.
These tiny mushrooms were popping up through the grass by my compost bin
Whether you are a believer in fairies or not, one thing is for certain... A mushroom or toadstool in your garden is most certainly a sign of something much more remarkable going on beneath your feet.
THE LABARINTH BELOW
What we see on the surface of the soil is merely an indication of all the action going on below. Underfoot, is a tapestry of intricate organisms. Networks of fungi are everywhere. However, they often overlooked and easily missed. So we need to DIG DEEPER.
Dig into soil in a woodland or forest and you are likely to find mycelium. This is the root-like structure of fungus, which branches out creating a labyrinth below the surface, connecting trees in shared networks and communities. Nature researchers and storytellers fondly refer to this as the WOOD WIDE WEB. It enables trees to communicate with one another. SERIOUSLY.
Trees and plants can communicate and support each other through these fungal networks.
Hand-drawn artist impression of mycelium (clearly, I am no artist!)
Mycelium and fungi are found EVERYWHERE. Most of us probably conjure up associations of fungi with rotting wood, decaying leaves, animal dung, musty pungent smells and even hallucinogenic drugs and poison. You will also find fungi in:
- the deepest parts of the worlds oceans
- deserts
- the deep frozen crevasses of Antarctica
- the human gut
- human skin
Fungi is also found in more delectable places like kombucha, cheese, wine and beer.
You will even find it on New Zealand's currency - the first and only currency to celebrate fungi, as far as I am aware. The $50 note depicts the Entoloma hochstetteri or werewere-kōkako, a bright blue mushroom that resembles the blue wattle of the kōkako bird. There were several news articles when this note was adopted, to reassure (or disappoint) the public that these mushrooms are not hallucinogenic, nor will licking these notes, give you a high!
Photo: New Zealand's $50 Note
So, how has fungi and mycelium permeated nearly every facet of our lives without us noticing?
WHO CAME FIRST? THE FUNGI OR THE DINOSAUR?
To answer to the age-old question, who came first, we need to turn to fossils. These show that 400 MILLION YEARS AGO, long before the dinosaurs, which roamed the earth just 245 million years ago, prototaxites, enormous living spires of fungi, 8 metres tall, lived on dry land. These humungous columns were the largest thing on land. Over time, these organisms have adapted to the world we know today, and it is now estimated that there are between 2.2 million and 3.8 million species, with over 90% still to be formally documented. THAT'S A LOT OF FUNGI!
Talking of fun guys, let's move on to sex.
WARNING! THIS MIGHT PUT YOU OFF YOUR MUSHROOMS ON TOAST...
We've talked about what goes on down below, but what you probably don't know, is that the mushrooms are in fact the sexual organs of the fungi. They are the reproductive structures designed to disperse millions of spores a day, similarly to how plants disperse seeds. They are PROLIFIC sexual beings with the ultimate aim to distribute as many spores as often as possible!
However, mushrooms are not the only way that fungi 'do sex', animals also spread their spores through their faeces for example, but I won't go into detail here for fear of putting you off more than just mushrooms on toast!
Click on a photo and look through my collection of recent photos to see how prolific fungi has been around my home town this autumn!
Whilst sex is fun, I did introduce this blog by suggesting that fungi could save the world. Let's explore that next.
FUNGI THE CLIMATE WARRIOR!
There are multiple research papers, which extoll the virtues of fungi and propose possible ways in which fungi does and could support our world. Here are just a few examples:
Biodviersity: integral part of our global ecosystems through the Wood Wide Web
Carbon sequestration: help forests absorb CO2
Mycoremediation: break down pollutants such as crude oil in oil spills or absorb heavy metals
Non-biodegradable plastics: scientists are investigating how fungi can break them down and reduce our waste
Possible cancer cure: Fungus found in sloths is being investigated as a cure for some cancers
Fungi can manipulate animal behaviour
Psychedelic properties have been shown to alleviate some mental illnesses
Fungi give us delicious foods such as bread, alcohol and cheese
So, since fungi nurtures us, why aren't we nurturing it and giving it the attention it deserves?
FFFs - LANGUAGE CREATES REALITY
So far the study of fungi has pretty much been banished to obscure parts of university science departments but there is a MOVEMENT occurring.
Language can create reality, and despite it's known significance, Fungi was not covered or protected by any environmental legislation globally until 2010. Chilean mycologist, Giuliana Furci, led a petition to ensure that fungi could be included into nature frameworks and legislation. She proposed the THREE Fs :
FLORA
FAUNA
FUNGA
The classification, Funga was formally adopted by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature so that scientific projects and research could be simplified to support conservation goals.
There is still some work to do here, but scientists like Giuliana Furci and Merlin Sheldrake are leading the way and ensuring that fungi are in the public consciousness.
MERLIN...
No self-respecting fungi blog would be complete without mentioning the deeply fascinating and EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY ECCENTRIC, Merlin Sheldrake. He is a biologist and science writer who recently published Entangled Life, a book which has been met with great acclaim, taking the reader on an eye-opening journey of all things fungal. I can thoroughly RECOMMEND HIS BOOK and encourage you to watch this curious 2 minute video. It is one of the most curious and enjoyable promotional videos I have ever seen!
You won't regret taking a look...
Merlin dampened a copy of Entangled Life, and then dipped it with Pleurotus mycelium. Fungi grew between the pages and then ate through his book before sprouting oyster mushrooms, which Merlin then ate himself, and thus, quite literally EATING HIS OWN WORDS.
Meanwhile, his brother Cosmos, recorded the sounds of the fungi growing within the book, before composing the accompanying music.
Have a listen:
I THINK YOU WILL AGREE WITH ME, FUNGI ARE MAGICAL.
I have only touched the tiniest surface of this magical world of fungi and all that it does and could do to support our world.
If I have inspired you enough to want to find out more, and like me, you want to go deeper into the rabbit hole of fungi I HIGHLY RECOMMEND recommend you head-out side this weekend and GO MUSHROOM HUNTING. See what you can find by your compost heap, underneath a rotten branch or simply under a hedgerow and read the following:
Merlin Sheldrake: https://www.merlinsheldrake.com/about
Giuliana Furci: https://www.rewild.org/team/giuliana-furci
The Fungarium at Kew Gardens: https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/fungarium
Fungi the New Frontier: BBC Sounds podcast presented by Tim Hayward
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