Fungus: the stuff of life
by Mark Cocker from on (#MFC8)
Claxton, Norfolk They process the hard lignin and resistant woody tissues, converting it into elements that trees and flowers can re-use
It seems apt that mushrooms are made from the same stuff as insects - chitin - because, like insects, they have a gift for sudden appearance. One moment nothing, then, as if on wings, they descend everywhere. We must acknowledge that this fungal sense of the dramatic relies partly on us. We simply fail to notice something so lowly, so brown, so inhuman, and yet so fundamental to life, until it does something eye-catching.
In our garden the best display has been mounted on the back lawn. Despite a fey hint of Gallic artistry or culinary sophistication in the name - and they are said to be delicious - some of these fairy ring champignon look like small crumpled turds.
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