Hunting for mushrooms in cottage country: Lowly fungus gains respect

By Elaine Nevar

Saturday, September 14 dawned cool and rainy. It was the Wye Marsh Festival and our family had registered to participate in a "Mushroom Walk" to seek out and identify some of the many local indigenous fungi. As a parent of an environmental biologist, I was approaching the event with enthusiasm tempered by apprehension at showing my own ignorance. We were greeted at the entry to the Wye Marsh trails by our group leader, Dr. Vello Soots who is the President of the Mycological Society of Toronto. With my fruit basket and waxed paper for collecting samples in hand, I tried to appear nonchalant as other members of the group assembled - laden with backpacks, water bottles, cameras, reference books and note pads. Suddenly, my duck boots and Blue Jays baseball cap seemed less than comfortable.

As Dr. Soots began his talk, displaying a "bolette" which he had found that morning, a Tiny senior citizen, one of the more ably outfitted participants, piped up "The black matter on the stalk - is it diagnostic?" My hear sank.

Dr. Soots promptly replied, "No, its just dirt!"

Maybe this was going to be a great day after all!

The "basidium" fungi are the group that are most familiar to us. Their fruiting bodies are typically large and conspicuous. This group is comprised of the mushrooms, toadstools, puffballs, jelly and ear fungi and rusts. The very health of our forests is in part dependent on the growth of these fascinating fungi.

Fungi feed on living and dead plant tissue, releasing enzymes back into the plant material and withdrawing the nutrients they need to thrive. Growth occurs most often in warm, moist locations, which is why they are usually most evident after a late summer or early autumn rainfall.

When spores from these fungi germinate, they send out hairlike threads called "hyphae" which take the nutrients they need and begin to branch out. Eventually they grow into an extensive root system, called the "mycelium". In a twenty-four hour period of time, a single fungus can produce almost a kilometre of mycelium.

Long ago, story tellers wove enchanting tales about large circles of umbrella-shaped mushrooms that were often found in the woods. These "fairy rings" were said to be charmed circles where fairies and elfin creatures frolicked on moonlit evenings. Others believed them to be the site where goblins buried treasure, or where the ugliest of toads dwelt.

Unfortunately, these quaint folk tales are all untrue and there is a scientific explanation for these "fairy rings". The mushrooms designate the outer edge of an extensive mycelium which has died in the centre because food there is not longer available.

Different varieties of mushrooms perform specific functions in the forest floor. Some types, called "saprophytic" mushrooms, aid in the decomposition of dead wood and leafy material. These can be seen as the fleshy growths you notice on logs or dead trees.

Another classification of mushroom, called "mycorrhizal", are those mentioned earlier which sprout from the soil. This type of fungus develops a mysterious symbiotic relationship with other plants. In addition to taking nutrients in the form of sugar and carbohydrates provided by the tree through photosynthesis, the fungus provides the tree with water and nutrients needed for its growth through its roots.

Much like icebergs, only the tip of the mushroom is visible and their slender root system can cover acres of land. Specific types of mushrooms have formed this kind of symbiotic or supportive relationship with specific varieties of trees. Frequently, a mushroom can be identified as much by the tree in whose shade it appears as by the characteristics it exhibits.

A "fairy ring" may actually indicate the lack of health of trees in that area. In fact, various kinds of mushrooms have all but disappeared in nearly a dozen European countries - including Germany, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands - where the forests show signs of ill health. Scientists feel that a lack of mushrooms can be an early warning of a forest's flagging vitality.

On our trek through the Wye Marsh, we were able to gather and identify approximately sixty different varieties of mushroom, due in part to the presence of showers. "Information overload" keeps me from remembering all but the most unique in appearance or accompanying folklore, without a reference book at hand - a reference book is now on my list of "things to buy".

Some of the memorable specimens we collected included:

Apricot Jellies--large bright orange jujubelike growths, shaped like a funnel,
Coral Fungi--shaped like their namesake, with many soft branches,
Puffballs--shaped like tiny white powered-puffs,
Witches Hats--minute scarlet pointed mushrooms,
Birds Nest Fungi--tiny cuplike nests whose spore filled eggs are thrown from the nest by rain,
Stink Horns--the tip is covered in a shiny mass of foul smelling spores, which attract flies to aid in their distribution, and
Amanita Muscaria--a beautiful large red or yellow mushroom bearing white polka dots and being both hallucinogenic and poisonous

Personally, I acquired a healthy respect and admiration for the lowly fungus - and a desire for a great deal more knowledge before I change my cooking habits from the supermarket Portobello mushrooms to the wild woodland variety.

For more information about other interest excursions, contact: Federation of Ontario Naturalists (416) 444-8419