Myco-magic
Taken on my iPhone 14 pro on a spontaneous foray in the rain, this image captures a rare sight: fungi fruiting in a perfectly aligned, chronological row. On the left, the vibrant red capped juvenile mushroom is illuminated by the sun - glowing in the fading sunlight.Next to it are more mushrooms that likely fruited from the same mycelium; their caps mottled from exposure to the elements throughout the day. They’ve spent the day spreading their millions of spores in the wind; but you can spot some fallen spores on their stems if you look closely. The equivalent of a flowers seeds, fungal sporulation aides in the survival of the species. Overshadowing these mushrooms is a larger, flat capped mushroom, humble in it’s grandiosity.Fungi is often associated with death: rotting wood, decaying corpses, poisonous toxic things not to be touched. However, without fungi, our planet would not have life. There would be no room for new trees to grow, the surface of the planet would be covered in dead wood and leaves. Fungi then attracts insects, which attracts birds, which bring seeds that turn deserts into wild forests and bushland, providing a safe environment for animals of all kinds. It is used as a medicine, it can withstand radioactive conditions, it can glow in the dark-providing a source of light to our ancestors on cloudy nights. Fungi is certainly at the end of life, but it is also present at the start of life, and is crucial for sustaining the circle of life.
Sarah Coates
