#mycology education

[fanciedfacts]

The deadly Death Cap Mushroom —

It takes one drop of this deadly mushroom to kill an adult. It's ordinary looking, yet very potent.

[ketrinadrawsalot]

Fungi February: The candy cap's unique aroma makes it one of the few mushrooms that are just as good in desserts as in entrees. As a little brown mushroom, there are numerous lookalikes, some of which are toxic.

Disclaimer: Don’t rely on pictures of cute mushrooms with eyes to accurately identify edible mushrooms. At best the wrong one will taste bad, at worst it’ll be deadly!

[rebeccathenaturalist]

What Are Lithophytes?

Originally posted on my website at https://rebeccalexa.com/what-are-lithophytes/

Ask most people what plants need to grow in, and they’ll say “soil” or “dirt”, right? And for the majority of terrestrial plants that’s the case. But given the sheer scale of biodiversity and the ability of species to make use of any niche–no matter how small–left unoccupied, there are of course exceptions. Take epiphytes, for example, that cling to the bark of trees and other plants. Rather than drawing nutrients and water from soil, they instead absorb what they need from the air. Psammophytes also get what they need from the air, but instead sink their root system into shifting sand dunes.

I am especially fascinated by lithophytes. “Litho-” means “stone”, and so a lithophyte is simply a plant that grows on stone. There are two main types of lithophyte. Epilithic lithophytes grow on a stone’s surface, and a crevice in the stone may be populated by endolithic lithophytes. Some of these plants can only grow on stone, so they’re described as obligate lithophytes, but their facultative lithophyte neighbors are those that are able to colonize both stone and soil or another substrate at the same time–some lithophytes can even live as tree-dwelling epiphytes instead!

Like epiphytes, a lithophyte may have some ability to absorb water and nutrients from the air. But they also capitalize on anything that ends up washed into their roots by rain. Endoliths may find that over time debris accumulating in their crevice offers a much-needed resource boost. As part or all of a lithophyte dies, the surrounding plants extract nutrients from the decaying matter–nothing goes to waste in nature, after all. They do not, as a general rule, have a negative effect on the rocks themselves; while some rock-dwelling lichens may chemically weather the stone beneath them, lithophytic plants simply use the rock as a convenient surface to take root.

Arbuscular mycorrhizae within a root as seen under a microscope

What I find really cool is that lithophytes can be mycorrhizal! Their roots are pierced by colonies of various arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that draw up nutrients from the soil and share them with the plants. While this is a very common relationship in nature–four out of every five vascular plant species uses arbuscular mycorrhizal networks–lithophytes seem to have cultivated a greater concentration of these helpful fungi.

A moss-covered rock is often someone’s first encounter with lithophytes. Lacking proper roots, mosses hang onto the stone with tiny rhizomes. Over time they might cover its entire surface, and if said surface is relatively flat and protected from weather and other erosive forces, their decaying remains could be the very beginning of a new patch of soil.

But it’s not just the little bryophytes like mosses that can eke out a living on a rock. More complex vascular plants may also take root on or within stone. One of my favorite ferns, the licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) commonly grows as an epiphyte on trees in the Pacific Northwest, but given the right opportunity it will colonize a suitable crevice in a cliff. Orchids may have a reputation for being difficult to care for in captivity, but in the wild there are a lot of lithophytic species. Many, like Dendrobium teretifolium or many Phalaenopsis species, can also live quite well as epiphytes on a tree or other plant. And the wallflower, Erysimum cheiri, got its common name for its tendency to grow out of cracks in rocky slopes.

Nepenthes campanulata

Unsurprisingly, some carnivorous plants make their homes on rocks, and their carnivory allows them access to much-needed nutrients in an otherwise limited setting. The pitcher plant Nepenthes campanulata often grows in colonies on cliff faces. Heliamphora exappendiculata, another pitcher plant, will happily grow both in wetlands and on constantly damp rocks. Sanderson’s bladderwort (Utricularia sandersonii) doesn’t eat insects, but instead sucks up microscopic organisms using bladders the plant buries under nearby soil or sediment.

One more thing: are the plants you see growing in gravel also lithophytes? Not necessarily. There may be soil beneath the gravel that the plant is exploiting. Or the gravel itself may be part of a mineral soil–one that has a lot of stone and not much organic material. A true lithophyte is going to be attached to a rock or rooted in its crevice, though it’s possible to find lithophytes growing on stones that, through weathering, may be feeding fragments into a nearby mineral soil over time.

Did you enjoy this post? Consider taking one of my online foraging and natural history classes or hiring me for a guided nature tour, checking out my other articles, or picking up a paperback or ebook I’ve written! You can even buy me a coffee here!

[mycosprite]

Beechwood Sickener Russula nobilis

[science-for-the-masses]

I'm back posting this week! To make up for not posting for a week, I'm sharing a bonus article today. I'm pandering to pop culture; it's all about parasitic fungus.

[mossyisme]

pinned!

hi all!! it’s mossy!

I’m gonna change up this blog a bit - stop spamming so many random reblogs!!! gonna be a bit more purposeful and tagged (or atleast try!)

see my new carrd in my bio! and tags below will be updated with what tags  i use regularly!

[themushroombogwitch]

I went searching for mushrooms in the garden of my work but theres none!!

Next shift I'll be looking on the trees as well as the mulch and grass.

Im genuinely surprised not to find any, as the light conditions and environment are perfect for some common agrocybe's and even Australian honey fungus!

[facts-i-just-made-up]

Where does the word "fungi" come from and why does it sound like "fun guy"?

Not just a fun guy, but a specific fun guy- Gus. Fun Gus (1887-1991) was the nickname of Gus Vanderbeatnik, for whom the entire kingdom of fungal organisms was named.

Naturally, fungi existed long before Gus, having first evolved around 1750 when several college roommates left some macaroni and cheese out for literally months and it grew a new type of bacteria, which would quickly develop mycelium and finally, fruiting bodies that we now call mushrooms. The organisms quickly spread across the globe.

Vanderbeatnik was born in 1887 in what would later become the state of Rhode Island. Educated in mycology from youth, Gus was known among mushroom foragers for his clever wits and ability to eat literally any mushroom he fund without ill effects. Thus he became a popular test subject to learn whether any mushroom was actually edible, without harm. Gus had an interesting digestive quirk- His stomach acid had an extra enzyme that could break down Hocstercorefacitbarfus, the toxin which makes some mushrooms poisonous. He thus knew when he had been poisoned as it would still make him a bit loopy, but was not hurt. This medical loopiness also made him very funny, spouting nonstop mycology jokes and social commentary, hence his name, and soon the name of the entire fungal kingdom.

Fun Gus lived to the ripe old age of 104, having analyzed over 3000 types of fungus, written numerous books on the subject, and amused thousands with his hilarious rambles under the influence of various fungi. He died in 1991 after a waterskiing accident, when one of his skis nearly impaled a rabid walrus, which in turn shot him with a uzi. He died that same day of Syphilis.

[tzaddi53]

/𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁: ⁣

𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘅 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗠𝘆𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁⁣

The pervasive Victorian enthusiasm for natural history produced quite a few female amateur scientists, including ornithologist Genevieve Jones, lepidopterist Maria Merian, and fossil-hunter Mary Anning — “amateur” being not a reflection of their scientific rigor and dedication, which were formidable, but of the fact that a formal scientific education was virtually inaccessible to women, except for the rare Ada Lovelace or Maria Mitchell, and membership in scientific societies was strictly reserved for men. But Potter’s scientific work was exceptional in that she deliberately tried to penetrate the very institutions that dismissed women’s scientific labor solely on the basis of gender.⁣

By her early twenties, Potter had developed a keen interest in mycology and began producing incredibly beautiful drawings of fungi, collecting mushroom specimens herself and mounting them for careful observation under the microscope. In the winter months, she frequented London’s Natural History Museum to study their displays.⁣

First drawn to fungi because of their colours and evanescence in nature and her delight in painting them, her interest deepened after meeting Charles McIntosh, a revered naturalist and amateur mycologist, during a summer holiday in Dunkeld in Perthshire in 1892. He helped improve the accuracy of her illustrations, taught her taxonomy, and supplied her with live specimens to paint during the winter. Curious as to how fungi reproduced, Potter began microscopic drawings of fungus spores (the agarics) and in 1895 developed a theory of their germination.⁣

Potter wrote up her conclusions and submitted a paper, On the Germination of the Spores of the Agaricineae, to the Linnean Society in 1897. It was introduced by Massee because, as a female, Potter could not attend proceedings or read her paper.⁣

In 1997, the Linnean Society issued a posthumous apology to Potter for the sexism displayed in its handling of her research.⁣

For more about Beatrix Potter read Maria Popova’s essay at themarginalian.org

[ketrinadrawsalot]

Fungi February: The lobster mushroom is not actually a mushroom, but a parasitic fungus. The fungus significantly alters its host, changing the shape, texture, taste, and even chemical composition!

Disclaimer: Don’t rely on pictures of cute mushrooms with eyes to accurately identify edible mushrooms. At best the wrong one will taste bad, at worst it’ll be deadly!

[rebeccathenaturalist]

So. ID apps. Do I use them in my classes? Yes, but only iNaturalist, because you get an additional layer of verification by actual human beings rather than just the initial algorithmic suggestions. And, more importantly, I stress again and again and again that apps are NOT to be the only tool you use, but need to be used in conjunction with field guides, online groups, and other tools, which we also discuss in class. This is especially true if you're planning to eat anything you pick.

I get incredibly frustrated by how ID apps are often touted as all you need to identify animals, plants, and fungi. (I've even seen them described as "a Master Naturalist in your pocket".) Yes, it's nice to have a convenient tool on your phone that allows you to take a picture of something and get a suggestion of what it is. But that's all it is--a suggestion. iNaturalist, Google Lens, PlantSnap, and other apps are incapable of critical thinking and observation skills. All they can do is take the visual, temporal, and location data that you give them and churn up suggestions based on whatever they already have in their databases.

Nature identification is a detail-oriented skill that takes time and practice to learn, and if you want to do it right there aren't any one-step shortcuts. Can an app potentially narrow down the possible species you're observing? Sure. But YOU still have to be the one to do the actual work in determining whether the species the app has suggested is the one you're looking at in person or not; you CANNOT just take the app at its word, because apps can often be wrong.

And this is even more the case when we're talking about edible mushrooms, many of which have lookalikes. (Trying to figure out which Little Brown Mushroom you have can be an exercise in frustration, to say the least.) While there are a lot of people getting into foraging who are willing to do the actual work needed to determine a given mushroom's species, there are unfortunately also those who just want quick and easy answers without a lot of effort, and those are the people who are going to go no further than the app's results. The articles that promote apps as the quick and easy answers these people want aren't helping, either.

By the way, I am ALWAYS happy to help people find resources to help them with identifying various beings in nature. I'm also fine with taking a look at photos and giving my perspective on what something may be (though, again, don't use me as your only source.) While I do teach foraging, I am first and foremost a nature identification instructor, and I want to help people go about learning the life forms around them correctly (and in the case of edible species, safely.)

[venicepearl]

Helen Beatrix Potter (28 July 1866 – 22 December 1943) was an English writer, illustrator, natural scientist, and conservationist. She is best known for her children's books featuring animals, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit, which was her first published work in 1902. Her books, including 23 Tales, have sold more than 250 million copies. Potter was also a pioneer of merchandising—in 1903, Peter Rabbit was the first fictional character to be made into a patented stuffed toy, making him the oldest licensed character.

Born into an upper-middle-class household, Potter was educated by governesses and grew up isolated from other children. She had numerous pets and spent holidays in Scotland and the Lake District, developing a love of landscape, flora and fauna, all of which she closely observed and painted. Potter's study and watercolours of fungi led to her being widely respected in the field of mycology. In her thirties, Potter self-published the highly successful children's book The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Following this, Potter began writing and illustrating children's books full-time.

Potter wrote over 60 books; the best known being her twenty-three children's tales. With the proceeds from the books and a legacy from an aunt, in 1905 Potter bought Hill Top Farm in Near Sawrey, a village in the Lake District, in the county of Cumbria (then Lancashire). Over the following decades, she purchased additional farms to preserve the unique hill country landscape. In 1913, at the age of 47, she married William Heelis, a respected local solicitor from Hawkshead. Potter was also a prize-winning breeder of Herdwick sheep and a prosperous farmer keenly interested in land preservation. She continued to write and illustrate, and to design spin-off merchandise based on her children's books for British publisher Warne until the duties of land management and her diminishing eyesight made it difficult to continue.

Potter died of pneumonia and heart disease on 22 December 1943 at her home in Near Sawrey at the age of 77, leaving almost all her property to the National Trust. She is credited with preserving much of the land that now constitutes the Lake District National Park. Potter's books continue to sell throughout the world in many languages with her stories being retold in songs, films, ballet, and animations, and her life is depicted in two films and a television series.

[another-goblin]

Spoilers for The Trees At Peace mission 

So the Family kept Chadwick alive against his will for centuries so that IPC had a chance to get that weapon technology back. I suspected that the Family is shady or maybe even evil, but why would they work with IPC? And it doesn't look like IPC has a leverage on Penacony, or they would've taken control over them long ago. So why? Don't they hate IPC on Penacony? They even created a cartoon villain, boss Stone, to represent IPC. And then Screwllim says "you don't want to have problems with planet Screwllum, do you?" and they immediatly allow us to take Chadwick away. Is Screwllum so powerful? Are they scared of him more than IPC?

Anyways Chadwick somewhat reminded me of Ratio. A young, ambicious scientist involved with IPC. Chadwick was actually a member of Genius Society, though, unlike certain somebody. And the Intelligentsia Guild isn't IPC, even though it's heavily affiliated with them. And that antiplanetary weapon Ratio worked on, though worrying, doesn't sound nearly as bad as the galaxy-destroying thing that Chadwick made.

(the following is pure headcanons and speculations)

It's interesting that Ratio got invited to the Intelligentsia Guild while working on his weapon. IPC probably hoped that he'd help them recreate Chadwick's weapon. Ratio is likely aware of Chadwick's little whoopsie. So after joining the Intelligentsia Guild, he's immediately like, Hi I'm a doctor and an educator. 8 PhDs? Never heard of her.

Btw I really hope he isn't secretly developing a superweapon for IPC. It has been mentioned somewhere that he teaches 52 courses, so he probably doesn't have time for that anyway.

I also hope that IPC sending a teacher as a technical consultant on this sensitive mission where he clearly doesn't belong is not a ploy to get him caught in the dreamworld, similar to what they did to Chadwik, to be able to access his brain directly. I'm sure it isn't going to happen because there is no space for a subplot like this in the already busy storyline of Penacony.

It would make sense, though. Aventurine could be involved too; he calls himself a Non-Performing Asset Liquidation Specialist, and what is more non-performing than a scientist you hired to build you a bomb capable of killing a galaxy full of innocent civillians, and insted he's like, "Yeah I'm totally working on it, yep, btw I need a quantillion credits to organize an intergalactic conference on Comparative Quantum Mycology"

[coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe]

Brainwaves Bios: Doctor Egon Spengler (1984)

The Brain of The Ghostbusters Doctor Egon Spengler, PhD

The brains of the Ghostbusters. He designed all the team's equipment and normally comes up with the plan to trap the ghosts. Overly analytical, Egon comes off as colder and more distant than he actually is.

"I collect spores, molds, and fungus."

Name

Full Legal Name: Egon Malachi Spengler

First Name: Egon

Meaning: From the Old German name 'Egino' derived from the element 'Agin' meaning 'Edge, Blade'

Pronunciation: EH-gawn

Origin: German

Middle Name: Malachi

Meaning: From the Hebrew name 'Mal'akhi' meaning 'My messenger' or 'My angel'

Pronunciation: MAL-a-kie

Origin: Hebrew, English, Biblical, Biblical Latin

Surname: Spengler

Meaning: Occupational surname literally meaning 'Metal worker' or 'Tin knocker'

Pronunciation: SPENG-ler

Origin: German

Titles: Doctor, Professor, Mr

Nicknames: Egie, Spengs

Characteristics

Age: 40

Gender: Male. He/Him Pronouns

Race: Human

Nationality: American Citizen. Born in America

Ethnicity: White

Birth Date: November 21st 1944

Sexuality: Aromatic, Straight

Religion: Jewish

Native Language: English

Known Languages: English, Hebrew, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Latin, Greek, Egyptian, Arabic

Relationship Status: Single

Astrological Sign: Scorpio

Actor: Harold Ramis

Geographical Characteristics

Birthplace: Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio

Current Residence: North Moore Street, New York, New York

Appearance

Height: 6'5" / 195 cm

Weight: 175 lbs / 79 kg

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Brown

Hair Dye: None

Body Hair: Hairy

Facial Hair: Clean Shaven

Tattoos: (As of Jan 1984) None

Piercings: None

Scars: None

Health and Fitness

Allergies: None

Alcoholic, Smoker, Drug User: Clean

Illnesses/Disorders: None Diagnosed (Possibly Autistic)

Medications: None

Any Specific Diet: None

Relationships

Affiliated Groups: Ghostbusters (Founding Member)

Friends: Peter Venkman, Raymond Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, Janine Melnitz, Louis Tully (Sort-Of), Dana Barrett

Significant Other: None

Previous Partners: None of Note

Parents: Edmund Spengler (70, Father), Esther Spengler (73,Mother, Née Schneider)

Parents-In-Law: None

Siblings: Elon Spengler (40, Twin Brother)

Siblings-In-Law: Eliana Spengler (37, Elon's Wife, Née Salomon)

Nieces & Nephews: Edward Spengler (4, Nephew)

Children: None

Extras

Level of Education: Anthropology PhD, Astronomy PhD, Chemistry PhD, Engineering PhD, History PhD, Metallurgy PhD, Mycology PhD, Parapsychology PhD, Philosophy PhD, Physics PhD, Psychology PhD

Occupation: Ghostbuster

Employer: Ghostbusters

Expertise:

Genius with an Eidetic Memory

Polyglot

Physicist

Mycologist

Chemist

Historian

Parapsychologist

Anthropologist

Astronomer

Engineer

Metallurgist

Faults:

Sweet-Tooth

Perceived Lack of Emotions

Doesn't Have a Driver's License

Backstory: Egon Spengler grew up with no toys because his parents didn't believe in them. For unknown reasons, he had part of a Slinky but he straightened it. On October 29, 1969, Egon graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Psychology in the faculty of Psychobiology. On May 10, 1972, Egon graduated from New York University with a degree in Parapsychology. On June 26, 1980, Egon graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree of philosophy in Nuclear Engineering. Egon was very interested in paranormal phenomenon, and worked with Raymond Stantz and Peter Venkman at Columbia University's Paranormal Studies Laboratory in Weaver Hall. He and Raymond studied paranormal literature in their spare time and were interested in theories of reincarnation. Egon developed the P.K.E. Meter to detect paranormal entities and phenomena with. Egon and Raymond were usually the first to interview case subjects, even people Peter called 'Schizos' no matter how far-fetched their stories were.

[lichenaday]

Hi there! I read your reply to the info graphic on mushrooms and I was wondering if you'd be willing to talk a little more about Paul Stamets.

I only really know him from the Fantastic Fungi movie (which is fun but does sound like one long advertisement for the guy) and don't know much else about him. I was skeptical when I heard he was self-taught, but mycology has always seemed like such a fringe field to get into (speaking as a Master's student in biology who's had like zero contact with fungi beyond mycorrhiza) that his lack of a formal education didn't sound like a deal breaker.

I did notice (with some apprehension) how he talked about all the patents he sold and thought in that moment he sounded more like Elon Musk than a scientist...

But when I google him all that comes up is praise and talk of what a revolutionary guy he is. Do you maybe have more info on him that's a bit more critical of his practices?

Ugh, yeah I can talk about him a bit more, but I am not sure I am the right person to weigh in. Should've kept my mouth shut, but I also feel like this guy gets too many passes. I hate bad science. First, let me say he is really good at what he does. He is great at finding ways to get people excited about fungi, and that is pretty invaluable when most people would rather ignore fungi or actively hate them. As you say, even folks studying biology don't learn shit about them! It's really sad! So he is doing a bit of a service to the mycological world, which is partially why I think he sometimes gets a pass. But he's an entrepreneur, which, let's face it, isn't considered a bad thing in this capitalist world of ours. He's not doing anything *wrong*, if you don't count really stretching some truths and relying on anecdotal evidence and his own experiences. I think people need to keep in mind that he is trying to sell you something with his claims. For example, mycoremidation has cool potential, but if he really cared about its potential to save the world, he would publish his research and not hide it behind patents.

To be fair, I'm not pursuing mycology out of the pure goodness of my heart or anything. I want to get paid and I want to be acknowledged for my contributions. So maybe I am not so different. But when I read his articles where he continually plugs his books and his talks and his products . . . it rubs me the wrong way as a scientist. From what I can tell, his research practices are not transparent, the info he is giving out is not peer-reviewed, and he promotes and sells products in the alternative medicine market. It bothers me that he is constantly toted as the authority on mycology when there are many other great researchers out there doing incredible work who don't get the same attention because they are busy doing actual science instead of selling their discoveries.

Also he was on the Joe Rogan Podcast so there's that.