When I stepped outside one cool morning about a week ago, I noticed little groves of mushrooms that had popped out of the mulch in my flowerbed, seemingly overnight.
How happy I was today to learn more about these fascinating creations of nature from Sue Heavenrich at Archimedes Notebook: “The Fungus Among Us.” She describes this interesting group, of which mushrooms are the most familiar. She shared the video below from the “Naked Science Scrapbook” which wonderfully depicts the role that fungi play in our world in various ecosystems. Did you know they’re neither plants nor animals? Nor are they bacteria. They are their own kingdom (Fungi, pronounced either fun-jee or fun-guy) that also includes yeasts and molds.
Once you’ve watched this fascinating video, you’ll want to grab your magnifying glass the next time you spot a mushroom or a patch of mold.
Who knew? Fungi are just another example of the oh-so-many-unseen-things that are right in front of us. So many fascinating other ‘kingdoms’ that are there for us to learn about, and learn from. Thanks for the fascinating post (and love Karen’s joke). :-0
That’s exactly why I’m trying to teach myself to be more observant, Pamela! I don’t want to miss any of these gems right under my nose.
Karen, not infrequently, makes my day with her great sense of humor!
Fascinating video. Everything you always wanted to know about fungi. Not a fan of blue cheese except with my chicken wings, but I love mushrooms. And that reminds me of a joke…A mushroom walked into a bar and sat on a barstool. The bartender said, “Sorry, we don’t serve your kind here.” To which the mushroom replied, “Why not? I’m a fun guy.”
Love it! I might not have “gotten” it as quickly before now. 🙂
Besides the great information, I love seeing someone like the author of the Naked Science Scrapbook make science accessible in such a creative way.Talk about a valuable connection…!