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For centuries, mushrooms have been associated with witches, fairies, poisonings, magic potions and mysterious illnesses. Some of those stories contain a grain of truth. Many do not. Let's separate fungal fact from fungal fiction and explore some of the most persistent mushroom myths still circulating today. Why Are There So Many Mushroom Myths? Before modern science, fungi were incredibly difficult to explain. Mushrooms seemed to appear overnight. Strange circular formations suddenly emerged in fields. Some species looked colourful and inviting while others caused serious illness. Without an understanding of spores, DNA or underground fungal networks, folklore filled the gaps. Today, mycology allows us to understand fungi far more accurately, but many old beliefs continue to persist. Many common mushroom myths originated long before scientists understood fungal biology. Myth 1: All Toadstools Are Poisonous This is perhaps Britain's most persistent mushroom myth. The word toadstool has no scientific meaning whatsoever. Biologists don't classify fungi into mushrooms and toadstools. Scientifically speaking, they're simply mushrooms. Historically, people often used: Mushroom = edible fungus Toadstool = poisonous fungus Unfortunately, nature...

When most people think of fungi, they imagine mushrooms poking through woodland soil after a rainy day. But mushrooms are merely the tip of the iceberg. The real fungus is usually hidden underground, quietly spreading beneath forests, gardens and fields. This secret world is known as mycelium, and it may be one of the most important biological networks on Earth. Once you understand mycelium, you'll never look at a mushroom the same way again. The Mushroom Is Just the Fruit Imagine walking into an apple orchard and deciding that the apples are the entire tree. It sounds ridiculous, yet that's effectively what most people do with mushrooms. A mushroom is simply a reproductive structure designed to release spores and help the fungus spread. The main organism exists elsewhere, often completely hidden from view. The mushroom is only the visible fruiting body. Most of the fungus exists underground as an extensive mycelial network. That hidden body is mycelium. Made from millions of microscopic filaments called hyphae, mycelium forms intricate web-like networks...

The press are predicting a difficult winter period, the so called quadruple whammy of Covid-19, influenza, Brexit and climate change (flooding). We hope it will be much better than that. With good fortune and good behaviour the second spike of coronavirus can be avoided. Flu vaccines are already being shipped and in the Southern Hemisphere, now in winter, measures to prevent Covid-19 infection are reducing the number of flu infections.  The hit to the economy from Covid-19 is many fold greater than anything predicted for Brexit. In any event, the EU is in as much Covid-19 turmoil as we are. With international travel at its highest ever level pre-pandemic, this horrible virus spread around the world quickly and although we had some time to react, the ponderous response by Western Governments was fuelled by liberal economists and a series of experts (herd community?) relying on the precedents of other viruses. Always look outside the box my friends, always. The shutdown was late (but...

‘A walk-in nature, walks the soul back home’ - Mary Davis The environments that we are confined to can impact our body, mind and spirit profoundly. What we hear, touch, smell and see can not only affect our mood but our nervous, endocrine and immune systems as well. Say you are in a stressful environment, your heart rate goes up, elevating your blood pressure, heart rate and muscle tension, suppressing your body’s systems. You would find that the opposite happens in a relaxed and more pleasant environment like a spa or a walk in the woods listening to bird song. Being in nature or even just viewing nature from a window can reduce feelings of anger, pain and stress. We are literally genetically programmed to find elements of nature engrossing as we humans were not made to sit inside all day. Nature can lower the production of stress hormones and researchers have even stated that it could reduce mortality. Even a single potted...

Did you know that elm trees were nearly wiped out by a fungal disease carried by beetles?Before elm was disseminated by beetles carrying a microfungi, it was the second most important broad leaf timber in Britain to oak. Like oak, it was of great landscape importance and formed an important component of our native woodland, supporting a wide range of fauna and flora.Elm hosts around 80 species of invertebrates such as the rare White-letter Hairstreak (Satyrium w-album) and in spring, its early pollen is sought after by many insects including honey bees. Elms are also a very important food source for songbirds, game birds and squirrels as their seeds develop long before many other seeds are available.Over the past century there have been two pandemics of Dutch Elm Disease (DEM) caused by two separate but related species of Asian microfungi, Ophiostoma ulmi and O. novo-ulmi. The non-native microfungi are dispersed by bark beetles of the genera Scolytus and Hylurgopinus. These beetles are no larger...