Whether it’s delicious, so poisonous it can kill or is a medicine with potential to even cure cancer, Anna Allum from RSPB Pulborough Brooks delves into the kingdom of fungi
Appearing mysteriously overnight in the dank and dark places of the earth, it’s no wonder that there are so many magical tales about fungi. In England we’ve always been a bit suspicious of mushrooms and toadstools (there is no real difference between the two), associating them with malevolent magic – there are Devil’s Fingers, Witches’ Eggs, Witches Butter and Green Elfcups.
The circular growth formation favoured by some species – and most particularly the Fairy Ring Champignon – has been attributed to fairies dancing, lightning strikes and again witchcraft (with the rings known as hag’s tracks). Whilst we now know that the appearance of the fruiting bodies results from a natural growth pattern of fungal threads that spread outwards from the original fungal spore, I’d still be careful not to stand in the middle of one lest I fall asleep for 100 years or am whisked off to the land of the wee folk!
Perhaps our suspicions are well founded, after all some fungi is deadly poisonous - consumption of just small amounts of the Death Cap, Panther Cap and the splendidly-named Destroying Angel could result in a painful death. But fungi can be immensely useful, too.
When did you last have marmite on toast for breakfast or a pint of beer in the pub? Have you ever taken penicillin? We interact with fungi on a daily basis; some are very tasty, another helps us to make beer and others produce life-saving medicines. Fungi are nature’s recyclers, breaking down dead or decaying matter and returning the nutrients to the soil. Many are symbiotic with the trees (and many food crops) with which they grow, supplying the plant with vital minerals in return for energy in the form of sugars – it is now thought that 90% of our plants depend on associations with fungi.
Our relationship with fungi began thousands of years ago. Evidence has been found of fungi being used medicinally by Neanderthals living 50,000 years ago – remains of an individual with a dental abscess indicated that they had been eating a type of penicillin-producing fungus. In 1928 Alexander Fleming officially discovered penicillin. Since then, medicines derived from fungi have been used in organ transplants, cholesterol-lowering statins and the Turkeytail fungus is being researched as a cancer recovery drug.
Fungus is incredibly important but most of all I enjoy it for its beauty, variety and fabulous names. Kicking through the rusty red and golden leaves on a walk through the wood you come across the delicate Amethyst Deceiver – a beautiful regal purple toadstool. Growing among the moss on the trunk of an ancient oak is the smallest but most perfectly formed Bonnet Fungi and the wavy yellow brackets of Hairy Curtain Crust adorn decaying tree limbs on the woodland floor.
Perhaps the most famous toadstool is the Fly Agaric, whose glossy crimson cap bears white wart-like spots. Despite the illustrations from many a fairy tale I have never yet found one of these with a toad, gnome or fairy perched on top of the cap! This spectacular toadstool can be found growing amongst the autumn leaves on the woodland edge, especially alongside Birch.
This year I’ll be searching through the woodland in search of Scurfy Twiglets, Rosy Bonnets and Yellow Brains. At Pulborough Brooks you’ll find a fungi trail leading you through the wooded heathland trails on the nature reserve identifying some of the marvellous mushrooms and terrific toadstools throughout October. So if you want to get to know your parasols from your puffballs come along to the reserve this autumn in search of some fascinating fungi.
