On Sunday Michael Green , London National Park City Ranger led us on a fantastical fungal safari through local ancient woodlands.
We started with some warming mushroom chai made by Michael from foraged mushrooms.
In ancient woodland you can expect to find a lot of fungi. However due to the lack of rains and drought, mushroom season is a little late this year, and Michael shared how ‘mushroom people like me love it when it rains’. Despite this, during the walk, with Michael’s guidance, we still identified around 20 different mushroom species, including turkey tale, hairy curtain crust, rooting shank, rosy bonnet, honey fungus and shaggy parasol!
We competed to be the first to spot the different mushroom species.. Michael’s passion for this subject matter is infectious, and we shared in his excitement in discovering mushrooms even he hadn’t seen before, including a huge log with multiple species on it. Mushrooms grow in the ground, on trees and fallen twigs and logs, and we learnt the importance of seeing first the context in which they are grown to help identify them. Just like us, mushrooms look different depending on their maturity, and Michael shared how we can identify them more reliably the more mature they are.
We explored in wonder at all we discovered, covering only a fairly small corner of the woodland. Unlike many walks, in this one we focused on looking at what was below rather than above us. The day allowed us to slow down, be curious, and to connect with all of our senses, including even our hearing. For example we heard how the Czech composer, Václav Hálek composed his music after listening to mushrooms singing in the forest!
We learnt about the ‘Wood Wide Web’ and how mushrooms link trees in shared networks. They feed the forest by recycling organic matter and provide nutrients to the forest floor. Small creatures in the forest also rely on mushrooms for food.
And on the topic of food, Michael cautioned that we should only really eat foraged mushrooms that have been identified by a mushroom expert. If we get it wrong, the results can be pretty deadly, and in fact on our walk there were only a small proportion of edible ones that we identified. He encouraged us to spend time learning about the mushroom before eating it as not everyone’s bodies will respond in the same way, so it is advisable to have just a small amount first.
Thank you Michael for leading such a fun, interesting and informative afternoon and thank you to our fungal friends for showing us this magical world.