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Rediscover fungi this autumn

© Luke Massey/2020VISION

SWT Youth Action Committee member Ellis Armfield delves into the hidden life of fungi in their new blog.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… no not Christmas, it’s fungi season! There are multiple reasons why autumn is a lovely (if not the best!) season, but its abundance of weird and wonderful fungi is definitely a top contender.

So, what is fungi and why is it so fascinating? It belongs to a whole kingdom of its own, sperate from both plants and animals. In fact, humans are more closely related to fungi than to plants as fungi don’t photosynthesise – instead, they respire more like animals by taking in oxygen and releasing CO2. Their role is best described as ‘decomposers’ or ‘the recyclers’, by breaking down organic matter (dead animals and plants) and transferring the nutrients into the soil, they allow new life and growth to occur. This means that fungi sit at both the beginning and the end of nature’s lifecycle. Merlin Sheldrakes ‘Entangled Life’ - a thought-provoking book about fungi - has a wonderful quote which sums it up well: “Composers make pieces of music. Decomposers unmake pieces of life”.

Fungi come in an incredible variety of forms, ranging from the beautiful to the downright bizarre. Of the 16,000 species found in the UK, there are more than a few that deserve our appreciation. If you’ve never been on a mushroom hunt, you’re missing out! Identifying fungi is an immersive experience requiring all senses, and it’s a great way to connect with nature. If identifying seems a bit too much to begin with, then just looking for fungi is a fun day out! Take the time to observe your surroundings, and maybe even take a few photographs of your findings. From your classic fairytale toadstools and bracket fungi which resemble tree staircases, to clubs and spindles which poke out of the ground like fingers and puffballs that explode with spores when poked – there are so many species to discover, and now is the perfect season strap on your boots and go for a wander.

Shaggy Inkcap

©Amy Lewis

Another thing that makes fungi great is its versatility: it has many traditional and modern day uses. For example, Shaggy Inkcap (Coprinus comatus) produces a black inky liquid that can be used in art or as pen ink, King Alfred’s Cakes (Daldinia concentrica) were traditionally used as fire starters and to carry embers across long distances, and many cultures use mushrooms medicinally. My favourite use is one still practiced today in South America! During traditional nighttime hunts, bracket fungi are turned upside down to expose their white underside to the moon – this fungi then reflects the moonlight, illuminating a path through woodland in the dark.

The majority of fungi lives underground, with the mushroom’s ‘fruiting body’ appearing above ground to produce spores. This means that even when mushrooms aren’t physically present, fungi are still all around us under the ground! It’s now known that these underground mycelial networks play another vital role; by connecting roots they allow communication between trees and plants throughout woodlands, forming a symbiotic relationship whereby substances and nutrients are exchanged. This fascinating concept has been coined the ‘Wood Wide Web’. How amazing is it that when you’re in a woodland, trees are actually communicating below your feet! Author Peter Wohlleben delves into this idea in the wonderful book ‘The Hidden Life of Trees’ - a great read for anyone interested.

Now wherever I go I can’t help but find myself searching for fungi - once you have an eye for it, you won’t be disappointed. I highly recommend that anyone interested in learning more goes on a guided fungi walk, or you can simply stop and take a picture of the next mushroom you see! Fungi deserve our appreciation and, once you start to notice them, you’ll find you can’t stop.

Ellis Armfield
Youth Action Committee General Officer

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