Green Group discussion

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake is a fascinating exploration of Kingdom Fungi. More like animals than plants, fungi is mysterious and essential to every ecosystem on earth.

If you find it interesting, I hope you will share your thoughts here.

Candice 🍄

Here are some interesting quotes…

“Today, more than ninety percent of plants depend on mycorrhizal fungi—from the Greek words for fungus (mykes) and root (rhiza)—which can link trees in shared networks.”

“Romans prayed to the god of mildew, Robigus, to avert fungal diseases but weren’t able to stop the famines that contributed to the decline of the Roman Empire.“

“Some—including the commonly cultivated oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)—produce hyphal stalks capped with a single toxic droplet that paralyzes nematodes, giving the hypha enough time to grow through their mouth and digest the worm from the inside.”

“Lichens mine minerals from rock in a twofold process known as “weathering.” First, they physically break up surfaces by the force of their growth. Second, they deploy an arsenal of powerful acids and mineral-binding compounds to dissolve and digest the rock. Lichens’ ability to weather makes them a geological force, yet they do more than dissolve the physical features of the world. When lichens die and decompose, they give rise to the first soils in new ecosystems. Lichens are how the inanimate mineral mass within rocks is able to cross over into the metabolic cycles of the living. A portion of the minerals in your body is likely to have passed through a lichen at some point.”

Fascinating about the lichens!
The word symbiotic was coined to describe the lichen and how fungus and algae combine.

These are such great quotes.

Most people think all fungi and mold should be killed on sight no matter where it is.

The Forest Unseen: A Year’s Watch in Nature by David George also included information about the interconnections of fungi, molds, and the world around them.

Fungi and molds have a huge negative impression, when in fact we wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the existence of fungi, molds and the rest of the unseen Natural World.

Its probably a product of believing you can judge a book by it's cover, not understanding that physical beauty is only skin deep, and the most damaging practice, that one size fits all for any situation.

I'm currently reading The Wilderness Cure by Mo Wilde.


The expert on foraging decides to spend a year living on foraged food. A lot of the time she is eating fungi, whether fresh, dried and made to flour, or preserved.

Candice, I'm still chuckling at the quote you gave about the Romans having a god of mildew.

New York Times article. They have a special section on the environment. I highly recommend subscribing:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...

At one time there was a god for everything. While it might be quaint and old fashioned, it did teach respect for the Natural World.

A bit off-topic...but I just finished watching Michael Pollan's Netflix documentary series "How to Change Your Mind." Very interesting take on the positive role that Psilocybin mushrooms can play in treating substance abuse, chronic depression or anxiety, mental health of critical cancer patients, etc. Read the book a while back and thought it was very intriguing:



So I'd say fungi are highly underrated and downright magical! ;-)