April 29, 2013
I was watching a movie a while back, a dark turn on a milquetoast children’s tale that used fairy rings to foreshadow the appearance of some nasty nymphs. It was … eh, so-so. But I got to thinking about the reality of these “mystic” circles. First off, mushroom rings aren’t mythological. They’re even pretty common, and have been known to grow in diameters upwards of 30 feet, and for years at a time. But far from a miraculous arrangement of individual fungal growths, the real cause here is not quite so fantastical. The mushrooms you see above ground are all parts of one organism, connected below ground by the mycelium—a dense mass of stringy hyphae. Think of it like the root system for a tree, but a bit more proactive in how it absorbs nutrients. In fairy rings, the mycelium grows outward, sprouting fruiting bodies (mushrooms) after it rains. The circle of mushrooms defines the leading edge of the mycelium, which constantly exhausts nutrients inside the ring and expands to find more, releasing enzymes as it goes. Whether or not elves have clandestine moonlight get-togethers around these rings, I couldn’t tell you. But you’ve at least got a new tidbit of info to plunk in your weird facts bucket.  —MN

I was watching a movie a while back, a dark turn on a milquetoast children’s tale that used fairy rings to foreshadow the appearance of some nasty nymphs. It was … eh, so-so. But I got to thinking about the reality of these “mystic” circles.

First off, mushroom rings aren’t mythological. They’re even pretty common, and have been known to grow in diameters upwards of 30 feet, and for years at a time. But far from a miraculous arrangement of individual fungal growths, the real cause here is not quite so fantastical.

The mushrooms you see above ground are all parts of one organism, connected below ground by the mycelium—a dense mass of stringy hyphae. Think of it like the root system for a tree, but a bit more proactive in how it absorbs nutrients. In fairy rings, the mycelium grows outward, sprouting fruiting bodies (mushrooms) after it rains.

The circle of mushrooms defines the leading edge of the mycelium, which constantly exhausts nutrients inside the ring and expands to find more, releasing enzymes as it goes. Whether or not elves have clandestine moonlight get-togethers around these rings, I couldn’t tell you. But you’ve at least got a new tidbit of info to plunk in your weird facts bucket.  —MN

(Source: thesilenceikeep)

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Filed under: mushrooms mycology fairy ring mycelium 
April 28, 2013
oculi-ds: birds nest fungus by ~shochin They’re not eggs! At least not in any form that the tiniest of birds would recognize. But they do serve nearly the same function. What you see inside the “nest” of each fungal fruiting body are known as peridioles. From everything repeated experiments have told mycologists, these small, spore-packed discs are dispersed when a raindrop falls into the bowl, splashing the peridioles every which way. Some stick to other plants and surfaces with the help of their trailing funiculus (think of it like…the sticky hands you get out of laundromat gumball machines). Others are accidentally eaten by animals and dispersed that way. Thus the circle of ‘shroomy life continues. —MN

oculi-ds:

birds nest fungus by ~shochin

They’re not eggs! At least not in any form that the tiniest of birds would recognize. But they do serve nearly the same function. What you see inside the “nest” of each fungal fruiting body are known as peridioles.

From everything repeated experiments have told mycologists, these small, spore-packed discs are dispersed when a raindrop falls into the bowl, splashing the peridioles every which way. Some stick to other plants and surfaces with the help of their trailing funiculus (think of it like…the sticky hands you get out of laundromat gumball machines). Others are accidentally eaten by animals and dispersed that way. Thus the circle of ‘shroomy life continues. —MN

(via mycology)

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Filed under: fungus mushroom birds nest mycology peridiole 
April 1, 2013
Pining for sunny (and warm) days. Wouldn’t mind seeing some fungus in the woods, either. —MN

Pining for sunny (and warm) days. Wouldn’t mind seeing some fungus in the woods, either. —MN

(via mycology)

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Filed under: mycology mushroom fungus 
March 20, 2013
And here we have one of the NYBG’s own. Dr. Barksdale was a mycologist who earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in botany from the University of North Carolina. She is most famous for discovering an important antifungal agent used in control fungal infections on plants. She joined the staff at the Garden in 1952 and carried out work here for over two decades. Her archive is available to researchers through our Mertz Library. ~AR fuckyesfemalescientists: Alma Whiffen Barksdale (1916-1981) (by Smithsonian Institution)

And here we have one of the NYBG’s own. Dr. Barksdale was a mycologist who earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in botany from the University of North Carolina. She is most famous for discovering an important antifungal agent used in control fungal infections on plants. She joined the staff at the Garden in 1952 and carried out work here for over two decades. Her archive is available to researchers through our Mertz Library. ~AR

fuckyesfemalescientists:

Alma Whiffen Barksdale (1916-1981) (by Smithsonian Institution)

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Filed under: Alma Whiffen Barksdale Women Scientists Botany Botanists Science Mycology Women's History 
February 21, 2013
Quasi-Weekly Fungus Time! Hawaii’s fungi are just as tropically chic as the rest of its flora. —MN steepravine: Mushrooms of Hawaii! Waipio valley is heaven on earth, go there if you can and bring your 4 wheel drive. “real” pictures coming soon, couldn’t resist sharing this now. Found my first orange waffle mushroom (made that name up) and octopus stinkhorn! (Waipio Valley, Hawaii - 2/2013)

Quasi-Weekly Fungus Time! Hawaii’s fungi are just as tropically chic as the rest of its flora. —MN

steepravine:

Mushrooms of Hawaii!

Waipio valley is heaven on earth, go there if you can and bring your 4 wheel drive. “real” pictures coming soon, couldn’t resist sharing this now. Found my first orange waffle mushroom (made that name up) and octopus stinkhorn!

(Waipio Valley, Hawaii - 2/2013)

(via flowerfood)

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Filed under: mushroom fungi fungus mycology Hawaii 
January 27, 2013

Paul Stamets may raise some eyebrows with his headgear choices, but this self-taught mycologist has some inspiring ideas hidden just under the brim of that potato-shaped hat of his.

What if mushrooms could be used to soak up chemical spills, or absorb radiation? How about using fungus to counter the effects of wasting brain diseases? With only a small portion of the world’s myriad fungal species accounted for, Stamets believes future mycological breakthroughs will change—or even save—the world. —MN

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Filed under: mushroom fungus Paul Stamets mycology video mycologist 
January 17, 2013
Inky cap mushrooms are popular items in the Tumblr rounds lately, and not without reason. They look like something out of a stop-motion Tim Burton fairytale. But what first strikes as fancy is a very real phenomenon; the “ink” produced by coprinoid mushrooms is in fact the liquefaction of the gills. They begin white, then turn black, sometimes oozing down as a means of distributing spores more effectively. Rumor has it that this ominous goo also makes a neat writing ink, but I’d stick to your ballpoint. Better yet, some inky caps are edible. Though, again, never pick and eat wild plants or fungi—like so many others, coprinoid mushrooms are notoriously hard to differentiate, and unless you’re a renowned mycologist, you could end up noshing on a fatal dose. Even those species that are edible have the potential to land you in the emergency room, owing to a funny (not so funny) phenomenon responsible for the mushroom’s alter ego: tippler’s bane. Scarf an inky cap on a belly full of booze and you’ll run into a full stop of miserable reactions, up to and including a heart attack in rare cases. The more you’ve imbibed or plan to drink, the worse off you’ll be. Isn’t mycology fun? —MN

Inky cap mushrooms are popular items in the Tumblr rounds lately, and not without reason. They look like something out of a stop-motion Tim Burton fairytale. But what first strikes as fancy is a very real phenomenon; the “ink” produced by coprinoid mushrooms is in fact the liquefaction of the gills. They begin white, then turn black, sometimes oozing down as a means of distributing spores more effectively.

Rumor has it that this ominous goo also makes a neat writing ink, but I’d stick to your ballpoint.

Better yet, some inky caps are edible. Though, again, never pick and eat wild plants or fungi—like so many others, coprinoid mushrooms are notoriously hard to differentiate, and unless you’re a renowned mycologist, you could end up noshing on a fatal dose. Even those species that are edible have the potential to land you in the emergency room, owing to a funny (not so funny) phenomenon responsible for the mushroom’s alter ego: tippler’s bane.

Scarf an inky cap on a belly full of booze and you’ll run into a full stop of miserable reactions, up to and including a heart attack in rare cases. The more you’ve imbibed or plan to drink, the worse off you’ll be. Isn’t mycology fun? —MN

(Source: owlyne)

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Filed under: inky cap mushroom fungi mycology fungus tippler's bane 
December 9, 2012
Semi-weekly fungus time. It’s a good thing. —MN whatsthmattawyou: A pink surprise by annkelliott on Flickr.Larger, then click again Fungi, specifically Lycogala epidendrum, photographed in Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.

Semi-weekly fungus time. It’s a good thing. —MN

whatsthmattawyou:

A pink surprise by annkelliott on Flickr.
Larger, then click again

Fungi, specifically Lycogala epidendrum, photographed in
Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada.

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Filed under: fungus mycology Lycogala epidendrum mushrooms 
November 19, 2012
Fungus That Controls Zombie Ants has Own Fungal Stalker “While the manipulated individual may look like an ant, it represents a fungal genome expressing fungal behavior through the body of an ant.”  Yeah. There are many benefits to being human. Off the top of my head, I can think of one in particular: we don’t live with the threat of mind-controlling mushrooms sprouting from our skullcaps after they’ve driven us to our doom. But ants? They’re probably losing sleep. Ophiocordyceps is a fungus. A fungus with such an insidious M.O. that, even on an insect level, it’s fundamentally creepy. When the spore finds its way to its preferred species of carpenter ant, it parasitizes the insect, gets into its head (literally), and proceeds to turn the beleaguered bug into a zombie. The ant stumbles to and fro, convulses and collapses, finally being compelled by the brain ‘shroom to clamp its jaws to a leaf and perish. A short time later, the fungus sprouts from the ant’s head, releases spores, and starts the process all over again. But the weirdness is only aggravated by the fact that scientists have found something else in the mix—another fungus, one that will happily parasitize the parasite. It’s a neat read if you’re into the idea of The Walking Dead becoming a reality on some base level. —MN

Fungus That Controls Zombie Ants has Own Fungal Stalker

“While the manipulated individual may look like an ant, it represents a fungal genome expressing fungal behavior through the body of an ant.” 

Yeah. There are many benefits to being human. Off the top of my head, I can think of one in particular: we don’t live with the threat of mind-controlling mushrooms sprouting from our skullcaps after they’ve driven us to our doom. But ants? They’re probably losing sleep.

Ophiocordyceps is a fungus. A fungus with such an insidious M.O. that, even on an insect level, it’s fundamentally creepy. When the spore finds its way to its preferred species of carpenter ant, it parasitizes the insect, gets into its head (literally), and proceeds to turn the beleaguered bug into a zombie.

The ant stumbles to and fro, convulses and collapses, finally being compelled by the brain ‘shroom to clamp its jaws to a leaf and perish. A short time later, the fungus sprouts from the ant’s head, releases spores, and starts the process all over again. But the weirdness is only aggravated by the fact that scientists have found something else in the mix—another fungus, one that will happily parasitize the parasite. It’s a neat read if you’re into the idea of The Walking Dead becoming a reality on some base level. —MN

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Filed under: fungus mycology ants Ophiocordyceps creepy zombies 
November 17, 2012
How Brainless Slime Molds Redefine Intelligence Some funny looking pudding in a petri dish might not strike you as a species on the intellectual frontier, but scientists working with slime molds say it’s just that—and it could give our understanding of these fungal oddities a solid jolt. Like you and me, slime molds can’t just laze around absorbing their nutrients from thin air—they need to move about to envelop the bacteria and other microbes that sate their appetites. It turns out, they don’t just do this blindly; research suggests the average slime mold is rocking a pretty sophisticated little GPS for such a basic lifeform. They can track where they’ve already been, solve mazes, and map manmade routes with little trouble. Click through for more. —MN

How Brainless Slime Molds Redefine Intelligence

Some funny looking pudding in a petri dish might not strike you as a species on the intellectual frontier, but scientists working with slime molds say it’s just that—and it could give our understanding of these fungal oddities a solid jolt.

Like you and me, slime molds can’t just laze around absorbing their nutrients from thin air—they need to move about to envelop the bacteria and other microbes that sate their appetites. It turns out, they don’t just do this blindly; research suggests the average slime mold is rocking a pretty sophisticated little GPS for such a basic lifeform.

They can track where they’ve already been, solve mazes, and map manmade routes with little trouble. Click through for more. —MN

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Filed under: slime mold plants fungus fungi botany mycology science 
November 7, 2012
Panellus stipticus! It’s Quasi-Weekly Fungus Time, and I thought you could use some bioluminescence in your day. I mean…glowy things. Seriously. —MN (Image source)

Panellus stipticus! It’s Quasi-Weekly Fungus Time, and I thought you could use some bioluminescence in your day. I mean…glowy things. Seriously. —MN

(Image source)

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(Notes: 138)
  
Filed under: mycology GIF mushroom fungus Panellus stipticus 
October 17, 2012
Scary story out of Connecticut where a woman who foraged mushrooms in her backyard sent her entire family to the hospital because those mushrooms happened to be highly toxic. Please remember folks: Make sure you know what you’re dealing with before you eat anything from the wild. As the article states, even mycologists aren’t right 100% of the time. Mushrooms are devilish little buggers to ID. ~AR (via Mom Picks Backyard Mushrooms, Cooks Dinner, Hospitalizes Family: Gothamist)

Scary story out of Connecticut where a woman who foraged mushrooms in her backyard sent her entire family to the hospital because those mushrooms happened to be highly toxic. Please remember folks: Make sure you know what you’re dealing with before you eat anything from the wild. As the article states, even mycologists aren’t right 100% of the time. Mushrooms are devilish little buggers to ID. ~AR

(via Mom Picks Backyard Mushrooms, Cooks Dinner, Hospitalizes Family: Gothamist)

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Filed under: Mushrooms Foraging Nature Mycology 
October 13, 2012

Trish’s timing is uncanny. Just yesterday, we happened to post a Plant Talk blurb from Dr. Roy Halling, our resident mycological maestro. His sighting of a hitherto unseen species on NYBG grounds tells us the fungal scene around here is doing just fine. —MN

trishmayo:

A Walk in the Forest: Fungus Among Us


According to the NYBG’s website “The Thain Family Forest is the largest remnant of original forest that once covered most of New York City” and it’s not hard to imagine yourself far from the city in both terms of distance and time. The quiet of the forest makes it easy to slow your pace and take the time to observe your surroundings. What I found on this early autumn walk were some amazing clusters of fungus - some look like seashells, others like a group of ladies hiding behind their fans, and one group was growing in a way that created facial features. I’m not a scientist but some quick research and I found fungus names equally fanciful and descriptive: Bracket, Orange Peel, Turkey Tail and Northern Tooth Fungus. It’s easy to love the fungus among us!

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Filed under: fungus mycology mushrooms NYBG botanical garden 
September 17, 2012
steepravine: Mushroom Family on Moss  (Pecos Wilderness, New Mexico - 8/2012) This guy’s boundless enthusiasm for the humble fungus demands some reblog love. —MN

steepravine:

Mushroom Family on Moss 

(Pecos Wilderness, New Mexico - 8/2012)

This guy’s boundless enthusiasm for the humble fungus demands some reblog love. —MN

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Filed under: mushroom mycology nature fungus 
August 26, 2012
Wacky fungus GIF—ACTIVATE. —MN

Wacky fungus GIF—ACTIVATE. —MN

(Source: jeffrey-lebowski)

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Filed under: fungus mushroom GIF mycology 
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