Fungal Forays

/ October 11, 2022

They look yummy. Dare I eat one?

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nature’s clean-up crew

decompose, connect, and feed

fantastic fungi

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One of the many toadstool mushroom varieties.

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These are a few of the many mushrooms that I’ve discovered during my hiking forays through the local parks and woods. Here are a few more fun facts about our fungal friends from Dr. Robert Fogel and Patricia Rogers of the Utah State University biology department.

Mushrooms come in many sizes, colors, and shapes including caterpillars, coral, algae, slime, and puffballs.

Fungi are used to modify food, fuels, and waste.

Fungi can be used as animal terminators, destroying unwanted pests.

Lichens are a symbiotic partnership between a fungus and an alga.

These look like fruit, which is what mushrooms are; the fruit of fungi.

What fun fungi have you encountered?

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43 thoughts on “Fungal Forays”

  7. Mushroom delight in every way! I can imagine though that some are not good for us… and a question I’ve always had is how do we tell them apart so we don’t get sick?
    Thanks for this beautiful and informative post Brad❤️ Sending love x

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  8. You and I are on the same page about these fascinating creatures, Brad. I want to take a foraging class in the spring, summer, and fall of 2023 to learn more about them… and other edible treasures in nature. I’ll bet there’s one in your area too. Until then, your camera is being put to good use. 😀

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  9. I watched a TED Talk once by a mushroom expert who has used them for some amazing purposes, including the spectacular reclamation of a patch of devastated inner city soil which wouldn’t have grown a pea when it started.

    There are also some astounding new architectural techniques which involve actually growing outside walls composed of mushrooms onsite and in place. Amazing! Hope for our trees!

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  13. Loved all those images Brad… and Fungi is fascinating and we are also hosts to some too 🙂
    I came across some very tiny little mushrooms / toadstools smaller than my little finger nail among the strawberry bed I was weeding and clearing out for winter this week… Didn’t have my phone on me to take any photo’s..
    Our world would not function without these little cleaners 🙂

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