Wildlife watch Growing interest in the reserve’s fungi
Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve assistant ranger Jenny Mann says there are many uses to fungi
Recently my eye has been caught by the many fungi that are adorning the reserve, with their unusual colours and textures.
In fact, it has been difficult for me to walk for more than five minutes without stopping to take pictures of them!
At home, fungi are commonly thought of as the button mushroom you have with dinner, or the unfortunate patch of mould spreading in your garage – and this is what makes them so interesting!
They can be deadly poisonous, or delightfully flavoursome, and to this day even the experts don’t know everything about these organisms.
In nature, fungi play an important role in decomposing dead materials and returning nutrients into the soil. This is why we see them in more abundance between summer and autumn.
At Falls of Clyde I see a new fungus every day, and I’m slowly managing to identify them, so here are a few of my favourites so far...
1: Coral spot (nectria cinnabarina) – this fungus can affect weakened trees and cause cankers, but isn’t as deadly as other tree pathogens. Here at the reserve we have found it on dead wood.
2: Flat oysterling (crepidotus applanatus) – this milky-coloured fungus caught my eye, and really is a beautiful sight. It’s not an edible species, but some of its larger relatives are.
3: Jelly ear (auricularia auricula-judae) – a wobbly, rust-coloured and edible fungus. There isn’t much taste to this one, but it is commonly used in eastern cooking, predominantly to thicken soups.
With my newfound interest in fungi, I’m excited to see what species will be appearing later in the year.
In the meantime I will continue to gawk at each fungus I see during my patrols... but one thing is for sure, with all those strange colours I’ll still be getting my mushrooms from the supermarket this week!