THE FUNGUS AMONG US

What do you see when you think of fungus? A red cap with white spots; or perhaps your mind has wandered down the vegetable aisle of the supermarket? Well, there’s much more to fungus than what you see above ground.

The majority of fungal life happens below ground, through vast networks called mycelium. These networks connect to tree roots and enable individual plants to communicate and transfer water, nitrogen, carbon, and other minerals to each other — a bit like borrowing from a neighbour when you run out of sugar.

Mycelia have a number of important uses, including in agriculture. The quality of the soil is almost wholly dependent upon mycelia. If there is no fungal activity in the soil, the crops won’t grow as well. They are also used to break down toxic substances like pesticides and petroleum.

Mushrooms and fungi are the fruit of these networks. They come in as many shapes and colours as you can imagine. You don’t even have to be anywhere exotic to see something spectacular!

BCM Team Member, Stacey, rather enjoys looking out for the weird and wonderful and even forages for the more common varieties. Stacey says, “Field mushrooms are relatively easy to identify although there are a couple of imposters that try and catch you out. One such is the ‘yellow stainer’, which looks and smells exactly like a common field mushroom — that is until it gets damaged. It bruises almost instantly, with a distinct yellow colouring. When it comes to anything weird and wonderful though, it’s best not to touch and maybe just take a photo. Much better to come away with a nice image than a raging stomach ache…or worse!

Feature By BCM Rural property specialists IOW office: 01983 828800 bcm.co.uk

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