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We human beings, our presence in the universe and on this planet is very small. The world is large, and mushrooms play an enormously important role in the cycle of life. I love mushrooms because I don’t understand them. They’re mysterious and scary… freaky indeed. Beautiful and ugly. They are all-knowing and un-phased. They have a job and they do it with style. They’re reclusive yet vain. Mystical, enigmatic, varied and complicated. And tasty!
I love mushrooms because they’re elusive and mysterious. They make me slow down and walk meditatively through the woods, off the trail, and focus on the ground, taking in a whole world I would otherwise have passed right over. I love finding a mushroom and getting right down to the ground and extensively analyzing it in every way. I become so obsessed with scanning the forest floor that several hours of hiking yield less than a mile’s progress.
Did you know there are thousands of different kinds of mushrooms growing in this country! Thousands more growing worldwide! And many of them are found in the Pacific Northwest!!! That’s right, there is much more to the world of mushrooms than the ones you buy at the store. Just take a walk in the woods and keep your eyes peeled, you’d be amazed at what you’d find. I love hunting for mushrooms. I love driving way up dirt roads and trails into the mountains and beyond, getting away from it all. Getting a little closer to nature and showing some respect and admiration for the way the natural world works in such harmony. Everything you see around you plays an integral part in the sustaining of this delicate balance. It’s the cycle of life! Mushrooms are a big part of it, and so are we (though us people tend to do more damage than good).
Like us, fungi need food to survive as they lack the chlorophyll needed to produce their own. Each fungus has a certain relationship to it’s environment and host, and can be placed into one of three categories: Parasitic, Saprophytic and Mycorrhizal.
Parasitic fungi, the least common of the three, feed on their host while offering nothing in return (selfish bastards!).
Saprophytic fungi are the decomposers, feeding on dead and decaying matter (dead trees, piles of dung, decaying leaves etc.).
Mycorrhizal fungi have a direct and mutually beneficial relationship with the root system of a tree or plant.
Most mushrooms you see growing on the ground under or near trees fall into the mycorrhizal category . Mycorrhizal fungi receive hydration and nutrition from their host tree’s root system, returning the favor by providing the tree with minerals like nitrogen and phosphorus. Many of these fungi prefer a specific type of tree, or have a few favorites, so if you know which trees tend to host your favorite mushroom, you can start by looking there.
The mushroom you see is the fruiting body of the fungus. It’s purpose is reproduction via the distribution of spores. Mushrooms reproduce sexually, that is, it takes two spores from two different mushrooms to land close to one another and germinate, their hyphae joining to form the mycelium of a new fungus. Eventually, when this new fungus feels it’s time to make babies, it will produce mushrooms of it’s own. Wow! isn’t all that pretty damn interesting?