Mycology - Blog Posts
Pick a mushroom to eat!
Time for my favorite game, guess the mushroom that won't kill you! The People™️ did so well on my last one in fact that I've made it harder this time :D
Enjoy!
Mushroom fact of the week!
Spalting is a pattern of dark black webs that appears in wood. It's quite sought after in woodworking for its unique appearance, but is actually caused by competition between the different fungi inhabiting the log.
The black lines are what's known as zone lines. Fungi make walls when they feel another fungi nearing in on their territory to protect their resources, resulting in black lines.
Not flowers :D
These flowers are not flowers, but rather a parasitic fungi's "pseudo flowers" it uses to spread its spores
The fungi infects the plant and siphons off its nutrients. In order to reproduce the fungi sterilizes the host plant, preventing it from making its own flowers.
It then forces the plant to grow yellow "pseudo flowers" that contain the fungi's spores. These spores are collected by pollinators same as the plant's own pollen would be and transferred from plant to plant, spreading the infection.
Ghost pipe flower
The Ghost pipe flower is a pale white flower that lacks chlorophyll. Instead of photosynthesizing, it gets its nutrients by tapping into the network of fungi beneath the forest floor. Sometimes they are referred to as fungus flowers due to their resemblance of pale mushrooms.
CONGRATS (TO MOST OF YOU) FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT FUNGI!!!!!!
To those of you who voted mushroom B, I am giving you a light slap on the wrist
Happy April fools!
Let's play a game! :D Which of the following mushrooms are you going to eat?
In this game you can't say none of the above. You have to choose. I promise at least one will be a tasty snack. The other one is less so. Good luck :D
Mushroom fact of the Week!
Lichens are extremely durable. In 2005 NASA sent lichen to space to test how it stood up in the freezing cold vacuum. It was left outside in space for a period of time, and within 24 hours of rehydration had resumed all normal photosynthetic activity
Cross section of Xanthoria elegans, one of the two lichens sent to space!
Mushroom fact of the week!
Mushrooms scam trees!
Some fungi get their nutrients by exchanging nutrients with plants. The fungi provides phosphorous and the plant gives carbon in return.
The less phosphorous available, higher price the plant will pay for the phosphorous, giving more carbon for each unit received. However, when there is more available the fungi will receive less carbon for its troubles.
So what these fungi do, being the scammers they are, is transport phosphorous through the mycelium from areas of high abundance to areas of low abundance where it is more scarce and fetches a higher price. This way, the fungi is able to get much more carbon out of the plant.
Happy April fools!
Let's play a game! :D Which of the following mushrooms are you going to eat?
In this game you can't say none of the above. You have to choose. I promise at least one will be a tasty snack. The other one is less so. Good luck :D
Mushroom fact of the week!
The white spots viewed on the fly agaric are actually not a part of the cap at all!
Many fungi’s fruiting bodies form inside a small sac, which when it breaks open becomes the universal veil. It's actually pieces of this sac that stick to the cap of the fly agaric becoming the appearance of white spots! If you were to touch the cap the spots would wipe off quite easily
Mushroom fact of the week!
Enoki mushrooms actually only look like how most people think of them when grown in total darkness. They look quite normal otherwise!
Wild enoki vs. enoki cultivated in darkness ^
Fun fact, there are mushrooms living in your lungs right now!
Humans breathe anywhere from 500 to 100,000 spores daily depending on local environmental conditions. The fungi have a variety of ways to survive the immune response of the human body. Most are harmless and either die or do nothing at all. However, some fungi spores inhaled are possible pathogens or cause respiratory issues, and others are essential to a healthy microbiome .
So, if you’re breathing right now, just know that there's spores in that air, and your lungs are a nice cozy environment for them :)
Witches Cap Fungi
Mushroom of the Week No. 1
The witches cap mushroom, or Hygrocybe conica, starts off a vivid red-orange with patches of yellow. As it ages it slowly turns black naturally, or bruises black due to injury. This is actually one of the most helpful factors in identification, though the fungi itself is not sought after for its edibility. It cannot be cultivated in labs presently, suggesting that it requires something special from its environment, possibly a mycorrhizal relationship. For this it needs to be investigated further.
I decided to do a meet the artist! :D
So! Important things: My name's Mycota, like the mushroom, and I'm your local mycelium obsessed *probably* human! (sorry, the names different in art, I'm working on updating it)
Theres also a couple other hyperfixations mixed in there, currently being Hermitcraft, The Magnus Archives, and Minecraft :)
I post about mushrooms every Saturday (#mushroom of the week), and I have a TON of mycology related posts over in my Funguary 2025 right here! :) I am definitely not hyper fixated on fungi whatsoever (definitely not)
As for art, it happens whenever about whatever but it does happen somewhat often!
Funguary Day 28: Caesar's Mushroom
The Caesar's mushroom is one of the very few fungi of the Amanita genus. It is close relatives with fungi such as the death cap (see that post here), however it is edible and reportedly delicious. That doesn’t stop it from having many poisonous look-alikes, as every year there are poisonings of people who thought they were eating Caesar's mushroom but were rather eating a poisonous species.
One of the most famous poisonings involving this mushroom took place in ancient Rome. emperor Claudius had ascended to the throne after the assassination of his nephew. He had many wives in his life but finally married his fourth wife Agrippina. Agrippina had a son, Nero, whom she had big plans for. She persuaded Claudius to adopt Nero, putting him in line for the throne, but she was not a patient woman. You can see where this is going. She decided to speed up the time it would take for her son to take the throne by feeding Claudius his favorite meal, the Caesars mushroom, laced with extracts from the death cap fungi. When the symptoms set in the next day a co-conspirator doctor administered a toxin from a plant called the bitter apple, finishing him off. Nero became the emperor, and the rest was history.
And that is funguary officially finished! One post per day on mycology for 28 days! Started preparing back in January, still finished the research for this post last night. Regardless, I loved it so much, and more importantly, now I have EVEN MORE mushroom facts to force upon my poor unassuming friends. If you're interested in seeing the rest of my posts for funguary you can find them all here!
And from now on, I will have a mushroom post every Saturday so if you're interested in that keep an eye out for it :)
Thanks for listening to my rambles!
Funguary Day 27: Scarlet Cup
Most species that would come to mind when you think of fungi are basidiomycetes, fungi that produce their spores in cells called basidia. This phylum of fungi contains most of the “fleshy” fungi, including all fungi with gills or pores. Some “fleshy” fungi however, like the Scarlet Cup, are Ascomycetes. Mushrooms like morels and saddle fungi are also a part of this phylum. Ascomycetes produce their spores in sac-like structures called asci, unlike the basidia of the basidiomycetes. See the diagram below for more clarification on the difference between asci and basidia!
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 26: Indigo Milkcap
Indigo Milkcap, or Lactarius indigo, is an edible fungi that bleeds a blue latex milk like substance when cut. This “milk” turns green when exposed to air, and is reported to have a mild taste similar to that of the fungi itself.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 25: Trumpet of Death
“Trumpet of death” is actually a misleading name, as these mushrooms are highly sought after for being edible. They are also known as “horn of plenty” and can be found in autumn. They do, however, have several poisonous lookalikes.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 24: Purple pinwheel
Pinwheel mushrooms are often overlooked not because of their size but because of their tendency to completely shrivel up and dry out in dry conditions, blending into the leaf litter. They can fully dry out over the course of the day, appearing dead, and restore completely to their original state just a few minutes after being submerged in water.
The image below left was taken of a pinwheel mushroom (though not a purple pinwheel) just after a rain and the image below right was taken around noon the following day
This property was named “marcescence” by Elias Magnus Fries. The purpose has not been fully explained but it is possible that it is to maximize spore release when conditions are more favorable.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 22: Oyster Mushroom
While most fungi get their nutrients through decomposing organic matter or through symbiotic relationships with plants, some, like oyster mushrooms, are carnivorous. These carnivorous fungi are known as “nematophagous”, given their ability to hunt and eat nematode worms. Most nematode-eating fungi only resort to hunting when there is insufficient food to eat. There are several methods these fungi will use to catch the nematode worms. The oyster mushroom in particular grows a hyphal stalk with a single toxic droplet on the end that paralyzes the worms, giving the oyster mushroom enough time to grow through the mouth of the worm and digest it from inside.
Other similar fungi grow adhesive nets or branches to which the nematodes stick or create a noose that inflates within a tenth of a second when touched. Yet another way some nematode-hunting fungi will catch prey is by releasing spores that can swim through the soil, then bind to the nematode worms. Once attached, they sprout, and the fungus harpoons the nematode with specialized hyphae known as “gun cells”.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 21: Birds Nest Fungi
The bird's nest fungi is named for its nest-like appearance, with “eggs” inside the main cup. The “eggs” are actually called peridioles and they're where the mushroom stores its spores. They're usually attached to the peridium (the main cup structure of the fungi) by a thin cord called the funicular cord. The cord is coiled inside a purse (see diagram below) until spore dispersal occurs.
Bird's nest fungi are reliant on rain to disperse its spores. Raindrops trigger the spore release by splashing the peridoles out of place, as visible in this video. The purse ruptures and the cord uncoils as the peridoles are splashed into the air. Sometimes the funicular cord will wrap around a branch or twig and attach to the new substrate via the hapteron (see diagram below).
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 20: Pixie Parasol
Pixie parasol, or Mycena interrupta, is found on deadwood in damp areas. It connects to its substrate via a bluish tufted basal disc.
The word “interrupta” is latin for interrupted, or broken, and likely refers to the appearance of the gills (see photo)
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 19: Red Basket Stinkhorn
Most mushrooms spread their spores by releasing them to the wind, but not stinkhorns. Stinkhorns contain their spores in a stinky goo called gleba. The Red Basket Stinkhorn’s gleba is located on the inside of its lattice. Flies are attracted to the foul smell of the stinkhorns and flock to it, getting the gleba on them and spreading the spores to wherever they go next.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 18: Turkey Tail
Ancient China and Japan commonly used the Turkey Tail mushroom in healing in medicine. In modern day medicine the use of Polysaccharide-K, extracted from T. versicolor, is considered safe for use as a cancer treatment in conjunction with other cancer treatments. PSK has been studied in clinical research for various cancer and immune deficiencies but as of 2022 its effectiveness remains inconclusive.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 17: Pink Waxcap
Pink waxcaps are also referred to as “ballerina waxcaps” because when mature the cap looks like a tutu. They are most likely to be found in acidic, sheep grazed fields in the UK. While edible they should not be harvested as they are extremely rare
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 16: Mycena Chlorophos
Mycena Chlorophos is what's known as a foxfire fungus- a fungus that glows at night. The mushroom regulates its glow through a circadian rhythm, at night the levels of the chemical compound and enzymes that react to produce the bioluminescence peak.
It is theorized that the light it emits at night is to attract beetles and other insects that might help spread the spores similar to how flowers use scents and colors to attract pollinators
Once an experiment was ran by Olson in which two cultures of the biter oyster, another foxfire fungi, were grown and placed on a completely dark box under constant conditions. He left them alone for a week with a camera sensitive enough to pick up their bioluminescence. What the camera showed was that the mycelium grew in an irregular circle, with the glow more intense at the center than at the edges. After a couple days there was a sudden shift, in one of the cultures a wave of bioluminescence passed over the network from one edge to the other. A day later a similar wave passed over the second culture. Though the fungi were kept in the dark for several more weeks, the flare up never occurred again. Years later, Olson still did not know what had caused the sudden flare.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 15: Puffball
Puffball mushrooms develop their spores inside their hollow fruiting bodies. Once mature a hole opens in the top to release spores when compressed, usually by animal activity, human intervention, or rain.
If you want to see a video of the spore release, which I highly recommend, you can find a video here!
See the rest of my posts for Funguary here!
Funguary Day 14: Crepidotus
The term Crepidotus refers to a whole genus of fungi characterized by their small convex or fan shaped caps and their growth of decaying wood or plant debris. The most visually notable member of this genus I could find was the cinnabar oysterling, a mushroom with a bright red to orange cap and flame-like fibers at the edge of the cap and margins of the gills.
Crepidotus cinnabarinus shows up in late summer and early fall, and its bright colors make it stand out against fallen branches and rotting trees.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!
Funguary Day 13: Fly Agaric
The Fly Agaric is quite possibly the most iconic mushroom there is. It was traditionally used as an insecticide. The cap was broken into pieces and sprinkled into saucers of milk. It contains ibotenic acid which both attracts and kills flies, thus, giving it its name.
See the rest of my posts for funguary here!