Mushrooms, after the rain

"Mushrooms are among the most mysterious life forms.  The ancient Greeks believed they came from Zeus's lightning because they appeared after the rains and reproduced and grew inexlicably.  In the Middle Ages, the circular patterns formed by some mushrooms were dubbed "fairy rings" and were thought to be the work of the "little people," who supposedly danced around them at midnight.

Mushrooms are mysterious, but not as they were once thought to be .  They appear suddenly, and often in places where they have not been seen before.  They have, in fact,  been out of sight, growing underground or beneath bark.   And much remains to be learned about fungi; some species contain dangerous toxins, many of which are not fully understood.  

Some mushrooms are of course edible.  Since Roman times, fungi have been famous as gourmet fare.  Truffles, boletes, chanterelles, and moels, all of which grow in North America, often fetch fantastic prices.  And with good reason: after tasting wild fungi, most people find the common cultivated mushroom bland and uninteresting.  Mushrooms also play a vital role in the world's ecosystem.  Many land plants could not thrive in their absence, since some establish a symbiotic relationship with fungi, exchanging essential nutrients.  And were it not for mushrooms, which hasten decomposition, many dead plants and fallen trees would take far longer to decay."

At age 49, I have fallen in love with mushrooms and fungi.  I am just beginning to identify the common mushrooms in North America...not to eat, but to sketch and to paint in my nature journals.