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Discover the essential world of mushrooms

‘90 per cent of living plant species depend on fungi to access essential nutrients through their roots,’ writes Love

Have you ever been surprised by a colourful mushroom while walking in the forest? It is always a fascinating experience to find them, almost magical.

As soon as the rain and temperature are right, mushrooms of all kinds begin to appear, sometimes overnight or in an unexpected place, giving us a true show. Fungi grow pretty much everywhere in the world but the rainforest of coastal British Columbia has the perfect weather and environment for mushrooms to grow.

Scientists believe that there are more than 10,000 species of fungi living here, which makes a significant contribution to this province having the greatest biodiversity in Canada. 

But what is a mushroom?

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Russula vesca on Bowen Island. - Paula Love

They are not plants but rather the fruiting body of a fungus. One of the main differences is that they don’t produce their own food as plants do. Instead, fungi form special symbiotic relationships (mycorrhiza) with plants and trees in which they produce and allow access to nutrients for each other, helping both to thrive. In fact, 90 per cent of living plant species depend on fungi to access essential nutrients through their roots. An example of this is the ‘toadstool’ of fairy tales, Amanita muscaria, which is associated with various conifers like pines and deciduous trees like birch.

Mushrooms also can be parasitic, such as the honey mushroom. Even though they also grow on dead wood, they like to grow on living western hemlock, causing the tree to rot. A third group of mushrooms are the ones that live on dead organic matter like tree stumps. One really good example of this type is the oyster mushroom, which is really well known for its edibility. 

Fungi have been on Earth for more than 400 million years being one of the first organisms to thrive on land and very possibly they may have paved the way for future life. Recent research has shown that their interconnection with other life is deeper even than we had imagined.

Scientists have discovered that through their mycelium, fungi create networks that help plants to communicate between them even if they are far apart, as well as collectively manage nutrients among same and different species. According to a study by Suzanne Simard of UBC, trees can take care of one other through the mycelium. Older trees make sure that young ones get enough nutrients sending what they need through the fungi network. Another study from Ren Seng of South China Agricultural University found that when a parasitic fungus grows in a tree, they release chemical signs in to the mycelia to warn their neighbours. Isn’t that amazing? 

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Boletus mirabilis on Bowen Island. - Paula Love

Going for a mushroom walk is such a great learning and visual experience, for both photographers and nature lovers. On Bowen Island, there are many trails of easy access where it is possible to encounter the most amazing and rare mushrooms.

To know more about mushrooms, it is very useful to gather as much information as possible: Where was the mushroom growing? Was located on the ground? On a dead tree? What plants or trees were growing nearby? What time of the year? It is also important to take notes about features like colour, scales, marks, stem, odour, size, gills, shape and number. If possible, the specimen can be carefully collected for a spore print, leaving the base intact on the ground, which is a simple and accurate process to properly identify a mushroom. And on this note, it is important to understand that while some mushrooms found in the wild are considered edible or medicinal, there are others that are deadly poisonous even in small amounts, and there are many mushrooms that look alike making it hard for a beginner or amateur forager to properly identify a specimen. And it is very easy to make a fatal mistake.

When curious about mushrooms, please always find the help and advice of a properly trained expert in mushrooms. Always. See more mushroom photographs on Instagram: @paulalove.art and on Paula’s website: paulalove.art.