Today my post is all about Fungus, a living thing more closely related to animals than plants. Like our American vultures, fungi play an important role in devouring and breaking down dead organisms and providing nutrient recycling. They provide food for man in the form of bread and beer (yeast) and tasty mushrooms. They were famous for a while in the 60's when the majority of young were into psychotropic drugs made from mushrooms. Fungi are also so powerful that they create toxins that kill plants and animals and mankind with great efficiency, and of course, they can play a role in medicine. Most recently a fungus from Nova Scotia may have a role in improving antibiotics that are becoming less resistant to bacteria.
The Kingdom Fungi has been estimated at 1.5 million to 5 million
species, with only about 5% of these having been formally classified. There is a huge variety in shape and size and most fungal beings cannot be seen without a microscope. If it is your field of study you would never lack for subject matter!
For some interesting man-made fungal architecture...go here.
Now for some photos of mushrooms in my neighborhood after the recent rains.
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| Isn't it a little close in here? |
Now, for some reason I am hungry for steak.
fungi are so cool....so varied in their structures...they are natures little architecture...
ReplyDeleteof course i like some sauteed as well in butter...smiles.
that building built by fungus is amazing too....
ReplyDeleteYou have some beauties :)
ReplyDeleteWhile i can't stand the taste of mushrooms, i do think many varieties are pretty in their own way. And i hate the ringworm fungus. It's one of the banes of my existence.
ReplyDeleteAnd all I can see are lovely places of shelter from the rain for tiny elves:)
ReplyDeleteThe Beefsteak Fungus can be found in America, so I presume that's what you are talking about, lol.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wanted to say was, those photos are brilliant Tabor.
ReplyDeleteInteresting information. Fungus is all around us and yet we know so little about it.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew how to tell which ones are edible and those that aren't. One more thing to study, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI think mushrooms are true works of art. I'm jealous you have so many varieties in your neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteI should be picking the fungi from the lawn before the spores fly today- but am too worn out!
ReplyDeleteGreat pics
I love fungi and you have some great pics.
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