The Magical World of Fungi
Take a look at the one of the most fascinating and diverse kingdoms on earth
Did you know that some mushrooms produce a hot, spicy milk, others smell of almonds or reek of coal gas, and that their colours vary from creamy white to bright red, violet and deep turquoise?
Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi, provide a glimpse of a vast and varied kingdom that exists all around us. Fungi are among the most abundant organisms on earth, and they play a vital symbiotic role in decomposition and the recycling of nutrients to many other organisms.
The web-like networks they form below the soil are sometimes playfully referred to as ‘the wood-wide web’. They do indeed act as interfaces, and they create connections among all living things.
You can learn more about this by clicking on the YouTube video below:
Fungi are some of the oldest organisms on earth, predating mankind by many hundreds of millions of years. The oldest confirmed fungal fossil is dated at about 800 million years old.
There are approximately 15,000 types of fungi found in the UK. We are very lucky to have an abundance in Bentley Wood; over 800 species have been recorded there.
To find out more about the common types of fungi, and their characteristics, click on the video below. It is from October 2022, when a group from Friends of Bentley Wood and Salisbury & District Natural History Society carried out an annual fungus survey in the wood.
This ‘fungus foray’ was organised and led by the highly knowledgable Ailsa McKee, together with guest mycologist James MacPherson from the Salisbury & District Natural History Society, who gave the fascinating explainer session afterwards.
** Please note that as Bentley Wood is a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest, it is an offence to forage, so please just look, photograph and enjoy!