This week I’m taking a break from the Mushroom Lingo series to talk about mushrooms’ floral cousins: orchids. I say that orchids are cousins to mushrooms because orchids depend on fungi for energy during crucial phases of their growth. This is why they are so hard to transplant. First of all, let’s take a lookContinue reading “Indiana Orchids: Fall is the new Spring”
Tag Archives: fungi
Mushroom Lingo #8: Parasites (and Rhizomorphs)
This one’s not too hard to figure out. In contrast to saprobic fungi, parasitic fungi feed on living organisms, whether those are trees, other fungi, or even insects—as is the case with the famous Cordyceps militaris (see Planet Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuKjBIBBAL8) Trees undoubtedly bear the brunt of fungal parasitism, however. These parasites are often specific toContinue reading “Mushroom Lingo #8: Parasites (and Rhizomorphs)”
Mushroom Lingo #5: Slime Veil
Yet another kind of veil! The good news is after three posts (partial veil, universal veil, and now slime veil) I think I’ve finally figured out how to spell it: v-e-i-l. The spelling of the word is to me almost as strange as the thing itself. A slime veil is basically a kind of universalContinue reading “Mushroom Lingo #5: Slime Veil”
It’s not a fungus, but what is it? Part 2
Plants are multicellular organisms that use chlorophyll to make their own food…right? Well, not always, as it turns out. There are actually a number of plants that parasitize other organisms, mistletoe, for example. Or American Cancer Root, which has featured before on this blog and parasitizes oaks. But have you ever heard of a plantContinue reading “It’s not a fungus, but what is it? Part 2”
Nature the Bizarre
Today I’m going to show you some of the stranger things I’ve found hiking. Starting below, with some kind of coral fungus I haven’t managed to quite identify. I’ve seen this several times now, usually while poking around for signs of morels. The fungus above has become lichenized, which results in the green tint. AllContinue reading “Nature the Bizarre”
recycled paper clips 