One of my favorite things to spot during autumn outings are mushrooms, the fruiting above-ground bodies of fungi. The most abundant ones in our area appear to be white and ivory in color and it’s not unusual to find small “colonies” of them growing in fields and woods.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about fungi except that they play a very important role in the natural environment. Suzanne Simard’s book, Finding the Mother Tree, was an eye-opener for me regarding how trees communicate and thrive through use of underground fungal networks. I’m now looking forward to reading Martin Sheldrake’s book, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures.

And I want to read more of the scientific writing that is challenging ideas about cooperative fungal and tree networks and cautioning us to await further studies that can show how fungi and plants may both collaborate and compete.

In the meantime, I just enjoy looking for ‘shrooms during my nature walks. Some of the white ones have interesting shapes that remind me of corals. Others have veins of bluish color.

Some of the more beige/brown fungal fruits have shapes similar to the common white mushrooms. Sheldrake has pointed out how important it is that we learn more about all of them: “They are neglected in conservation frameworks, educational curriculums, and scientific and medical research. Part of the challenge is raising awareness of fungal life and the many vital roles they play in the biosphere, of course.”

Did you know, for example, that mycorrhizal fungi absorb “the equivalent of more than a third (36%) of the world’s annual carbon emissions from fossil fuels – every year?”

Some of my nature-oriented conservation colleagues know something about mushrooms because they enjoy collecting them for consumption. You do need to know a good deal about them, however, to do this safely as some mushrooms are poisonous. One easily recognizable one is the fly agaric mushroom with its pretty red cap dotted with white spots.

Although I went on a mushroom walk once where a knowledgeable leader encouraged us to collect specimens which he then identified at the end of the collection period, I admittedly am not so interested in learning which wild ones are edible. The cultivated mushrooms sold in stores satisfy my culinary tastes.

Spotting interesting clusters and shapes during outings is fun, however, and has led to interesting conversations with fellow walkers and photographers.

The color variations also attract me.

I always find the clusters of ‘shrooms with multi-colored lines appealing.

It’s also interesting to know that mushrooms can be used to create vivid dyes to color natural fibers such as wool.

Three of my fungal finds that were favorites this autumn are shown below. Their vivid colors really caught my eye from far away and they were quite large.

I’ll leave you with a find that has puzzled me as I have no idea what it is. Several green plants were covered with these fine white filaments. I don’t know if they were produced by fungi or some type of insect; my Internet searches have not produced an answer yet. If any of you readers know what this is, please enlighten me!  And have a nice day!