I have always been fascinated by the world of fungi. I find them magical and wondrous organisms, which show themselves as strange, other-worldly shapes and forms. The fruiting bodies or mushrooms that we see are a very small part of the organism and their life cycle. The mycelium is the root-like structure, made up of branching, thread-like hyphae (filamentous structures) usually hidden under the ground or within the substrate that the fungi are growing on. A mycelium may be minute, too tiny to see, or can be absolutely vast and spanning many thousands of acres. The nature and properties of mycelia are a huge subject in their own right.
I have very happy memories when growing up of looking for field mushrooms with my Dad in early morning mist and dew. There was something atmospheric and transcendental about this experience then and when I am out looking for fungi now, I get completely lost and absorbed in the activity. As well as hunting for fungi in the outdoors, I also love to grow my own fungi and mushrooms and delight in their development from tiny pins to fully grown mushrooms, to decayed and shriveled specimens. I have bought, tried and grown a few different mushroom growing kits, methods and spawns and I would recommend www.marvellous-mushrooms.co.uk as a good starting point.
Being interested in the science of the natural world, I read and research about the world of fungi. I have recently joined the British Mycological society www.britmycolsoc.org.uk and the one thing I am learning is that there is SO much to learn! Fungi are crucial organisms for the health of our planet and all species on it and there is some wonderful and inspiring research being undertaken on fungi: their structures, biological make-up, their interaction with other species and the role they play within ecosystems, their potential for healing the world and making it a better place. They are wonderful and fascinating organisms.
As well as hunting for fungi and, I also like to grow my own fungi. There is more on this in the "Auto immune" section of my website.