Fascinating fungi

We recently joined a fungi walk organised by Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust in Glenmore Forest Park. During the walk, Paul Hibberd from our Visitor Services team gave a fascinating insight into fungi habitat, identification, folklore and why fungi are important for our forests.

What are fungi? 

Fungi are a large biological kingdom of organisms, that are neither plant nor animal. Unlike plants they do not produce their own food and require living or dead plants or even animals to get their nutrients. While all mushrooms are fungi, not all fungi have mushrooms. The mushrooms form one part of the fungi (known as the fruiting body), from which the spores are distributed and they can reproduce. 

Why do we see so many mushrooms in autumn?

The increased moisture combined with temperatures still being warm enough for the fungi to fruit provide the perfect growing conditions for many mushrooms. As the leaves fall, the build-up of leaf litter also provides nutrients to certain species. 

Identification

There are around 15,000 species of fungi in the UK so identification can be very difficult. Some of the ways to identify them include:

• fruiting body or cap shape
• texture
• colour
• stem
• flesh
• gills
• spore colour – this can be done by doing a spore print on white paper with a microscope
• smell
• occurrence – time of the year, does it grow singly or in rings
• habitats – some species are associated with certain tree species

Trees and fungi

Fungi could be described as being like an iceberg – with the fruiting body seen above the ground just a small part of the living organism. A vast network of tiny threads can be found underground or inside wood, these tiny threads are collectively known as mycelium. It is the mycelium that transports the nutrients that each fungus requires.  

Fungi can have different relationships with other living organisms. Some can be parasitic and harm their host, others benefit from the relationship and the host is unaffected, while many have a mutualistic relationship where the fungus and host both benefit. 

Mycorrhizal (coming from the Greek words for fungus and root) fungi have a mutualistic relationship benefitting both trees and fungi. In our forests, the extensive networks of mycelium can absorb water and nutrients and deliver them to the tree. As fungi can’t photosynthesise, the tree then provides the sugars and carbon to the fungus. 

Fungi are also great at decomposing deadwood and leaves and returning the nutrients to the soil, this in turns helps a whole range of plants and animals.  

In our forests you can find fungi that are associated with certain species of tree. For example in birch woods many species of fungi are named after the tree such as birch polypore, birch knight and birch webcap.

Common ones to spot this autumn

Here are three we found along the walk that you may spot across Scotland this autumn. While none of them are edible, they play important roles in their forest ecosystems and have some very interesting folklore associated with them.  

Fly agaric

This mushroom is linked to many fairytales and films with its shape and vibrant red colour accompanied by white spots. However, its colour can vary between yellow, orange and red depending on rain, age and exposure to sunlight. 

The name is thought to date back to the Middle Ages and involved the breaking of the cap and mixing with milk to create a liquid that could kill flies due to the toxic ibotenic acid from the mushroom. 

Hoof fungus

You can often see this species on birch trees and other hardwoods in Scotland. In the past it was used to move fire from one area to another due to it burning slowly and is therefore also known as the Tinder fungus. 

Sulphur tuft

These are fungi that you can see all year round and are found in small clusters or tufts. Look for them on dead or decaying wood such as logs or stumps where they play a key role in recycling nutrients.