Bigfoot's Friend

Today I was thinking about how weird mushrooms are.

Truly.

They are a fungus, some of which are delicious and edible, some of which will alter your state of mind, and some of which could be your last meal.

Some are rather unpleasant looking and brown, while others are bright and colorful and alluring.

I know a lot of people who are scared of wild mushrooms, and rightfully so.

And then there are mycology nerds like me and you, searching the internet for facts and information on these incredible fungi.

So today, I thought I would bring to you a few simple, fun facts about fungi!

1. Button, Crimini, & Portabello Mushrooms Are All The Same.

You know the three basic mushrooms you can find in most grocery stores?

They are all the same!

Agaricus bisporus are commonly cultivated and enjoyed around the world.

The only difference between the three is the age at which it is harvested!

2. Magic Mushrooms Are Magic For A Reason.

We’ve all heard of ‘magic mushrooms’. Some of you may have even had an experience with them.

Some countries and medical practices have experimented with using the psilocybe mushrooms psychoactive chemical psilocybin in treating PTSD, addiction, and other mental illnesses.

That’s not the only thing that’s interesting, though.

What’s cool is that psilocybe mushrooms evolved the chemical psilocybin to act as a means for helping the mushrooms spores to travel farther!

It is theorized that this chemical alters the state of mind of animals that eat them, causing the animals to wander far from where they ate the mushroom to spread the spores, increasing the areas where they grow.

3. Oyster Mushrooms Are Carnivores.

We all remember learning about photosynthesis in school, right? That’s the process that plants use to absorb energy from the sun.

Well, mushrooms work a little differently. Oyster mushrooms in particular have been found to be carnivorous since they are capable of eating bugs and retaining the nutrients from them!

They eat tiny bugs and worms that crawl between the gills of the mushroom. The mushroom paralyzes the bugs which are trapped in the gills and dissolves them!

These are only a few of the interesting facts about mushrooms that I’ve found in my studies. I hope you found them as interesting as I do!

Do you have any other fun facts about fungi? Let me know in the comments, lets talk mushrooms!

Fun Forest Find: Wood Ears (Auricularia Americana)

Northwestern Morel Mushroom (Morchella) Identification

Fun Forest Find: Witches Butter (Tremella Mesenterica)

Thanks for reading!

-Jessica C.