Close-up of curved pale mushrooms
Nature and wildlife,  Nature Photo Challenge,  Themed galleries

Gallery: fungi are fun guys!

April 14, 2023 / 49 Comments

All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once.

Terry Pratchett

The late great Terry Pratchett makes an excellent point! Personally I accept that I know far too little about fungi species to ever pick one in the wild to eat. I don’t even touch them!

What I do know is that they are essential to our ecosystems. They are able to transform nutrients in a way that makes them available for plants. Many also act to break down plant and animal debris, thus increasing the availability of nutrients in the soil, while others live in mutual symbiotic association with plant roots. Some recycle carbon from litter and dead plant material. This not only improves soil fertility but can also help to reduce the excess carbon that we still persist in putting into the atmosphere.

For Denzil’s Nature Challenge this week I’ve assembled a collection of photos of fungi taken around the world and closer to home. One so close to home in fact that it was taken right outside our front door! Others are more far-flung, from Costa Rica in South America to North Korea in Asia. One thing they clearly show is the variety to be found among fungi, and I believe the beauty too.

Unlike Denzil, and as I said above, I’m not an expert, so I haven’t attempted to identify and label my species. If anyone (maybe Denzil himself?) recognises any and wants to enlighten me I’d really appreciate a comment!

Tiny mushrooms clustered together

At the foot of a tree in our street in Ealing

Curl-shaped fungus on a log

On a fallen tree in Walpole Park, Ealing

Delicate fungi on a silver birch trunk

In Ruislip Woods, north west London

Pale blotchy fungus on a tree trunk

In Plessey Woods, Northumberland

Three low growing toadstools

Spotted in Emmetts Garden, Kent, one of the best places I’ve visited for toadstools and mushrooms

Classic white-spotted red toadstool
Slender white toadstool

Two more from Emmetts Gardena

Tiny delicate mushrooms growing among ferns

And a final Emmetts Garden favourite

Fallen log with lots of pale bracket fungus

On a fallen tree, Lagarta Lodge Reserve, on the north west coast of Costa Rica

Large bracket fungus lit by flash

In Monteverde cloud forest, Costa Rica

Dark fungus edged with white in the fork of a tree

Near Ulim Falls in North Korea

And something a bit different, oyster mushroom production in North Korea

[my feature photo was taken in the same facility]

Close-up of curved pale mushrooms
Stone ornament of a mushroom with a face

Finally, I can’t resist including this one, from a front garden in South Ealing

Why did the mushroom go to the party?

Because he was a fun guy!

49 Comments

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