So is it a good year for fungi – to be honest I am not sure. We certainly found quite a few different types in Gamlingay Wood (don’t ask me to name them – I am assured that a list will be forthcoming), but apparently, although it has been quite damp – good for fungi, quite warm in the days – also a good thing, it has also been cold at night – not good.
So, did I learn much? Not sure – I know the difference between a toadstool and a mushroom – there is none, I know I will never know much about fungi – there are so many different varieties, and I know that there are some that only grow on dead things, some that have a symbiotic relationship with living things, and some that grow on living things often transforming them into dead things. Some are also apparently very fussy (can you get much fussier than growing only on LAST YEAR’S MALE birch catkins).
They also come in a variety of shapes, colours (some are bright purple, not all are brown) and sizes (some are tiny, others are about 12 inches high) and these are only the ones that I saw on Saturday.