Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures

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Különben meg sietve leszögezem: a gombák univerzuma legkevésbé sem pici és koszlott, hanem objektíve baromi érdekes és kvázi határtalan. Mert ugye a gomba nem csak gyanús szürke folt, ami a nedves vakolaton virágzik, vagy piros kalpag fehér lábon, ami eső után nő ki az erdőben – nem, ez utóbbi például csak a termőtest. (Úgy képzeljük el, mintha egy alma volna, amihez tartozik egy jobbára láthatatlan almafa is, ami elrejtőzött a föld alatt.) No most ezek a gombák bizony tudnak fura dolgokat. A fenn említett piros kalpag például hajlamos kinyírni azt, aki megeszi, mértékkel fogyasztva pedig téren és időn átívelő hallucinatív utazásokkal lepi meg a szibériai sámánokat. Egyes fajok sört készítenek nekünk, mások megeszik előlünk a sajtot, megint mások meg camembert-rel kedveskednek a sajtkészítőknek. Olyan is akad, ami megunta, hogy nincsen lába, ezért lenyúlja egy hangyáét**. Ami amúgy tényleg creepy. De ne belőle induljunk ki, hanem higgyük el: a gombák zöme a barátunk. Megkerülhetetlen szerepük van a földi élet kialakulásában és fenntartásában – hogy mást ne mondjak, nélkülük a tengeri algák képtelenek lettek volna meghódítani a szárazulatokat. This book was fascinating; informative and extremely well-written. The author is a biologist specializing in the study of underground fungal networks in tropical forests, so he knows his way around a microscope, but he's also a full participant. He volunteered as a patient in a controlled LSD experiment, submerged himself - naked - in decomposing wood chips for hours, and fermented brew from apples fallen from an offspring of Isaac Newton's famous, if apocryphal, tree. Books with amazing illustrations are always a great way for children to learn, and that’s why Humongous Fungus (Underground and All Around) by Lynne Boddy is the perfect choice.

I have always found mushrooms magical. The way they suddenly appear overnight after a rainstorm amazes me. Walk down a forest path one day and see nothing. The next morning, suddenly you encounter hundreds of them. Bright or dull, colourful or drab, they are everywhere you look. These are all simplistic descriptions – the book is wide ranging, often more interested in posing questions or giving alternative views than giving simple answers or go for straight explanation. Fungi produce plant growth hormones that manipulate roots, causing them to proliferate into masses of feathery branches—with a greater surface area, the chances of an encounter between root tips and fungal hyphae become more likely. Okay, before I even get into this review, how perfect is this guy's name? Not only does he study mushrooms, he has a name like a professor in one of the Harry Potter books. Which is perfect, since mushrooms do have a bit of a reputation for being mysterious, sinister, and even kind of spooky. Which, if you read this book, you'll find out is a reputation that they totally deserve.

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Umm, could Psilocybin mushroom consumption be the needed first step in effectively mitigating human caused global warming and extinctions? [My thoughts, not the author's.] Merlin Sheldrake’s book is an engrossing, entertaining and very informative read on all things fungi. Take note, Jeff VanderMeer fans: reading this will only freak you out more about the Grey Caps and the Ambergris mythology!

Your child will learn about the microscopic fungi floating through your yard as well as the humongous networks of fungi that power our forests. They’ll also explore how fungi are used as medicine, how species usually pop out more clearly in the fall, and how they can even be foraged right from the forest floor in some cases. Sex? Well There's the Stinkhorn, which, I now know, does indeed stink terribly. Yet its Latin name - Phallus impudicus - has been known to make some genteel souls blush:

Entangled Life is a well-chosen title. These two words perfectly describe this book. While it is about fungi, Sheldrake delivers a much broader message. One about relationships and the perspectives we adopt to see those relationships. These are not relationships between people but relationships between different forms of life: Fungi, microbes, plants and animals including humans. We see how the world we know depends on these relationships, and the critical role fungi play in these relationships. When choosing a book about fungi for your child you should consider the age of the child, reading level, and the type of book. The mycelial networks in the ground “compute” information encoded in spikes of electrical activity, allowing plants to communicate with each other. When an aphid begins eating the leaves of a plant, it can send out an alarm to others of its kind through the mycelial network, prompting them to put off chemicals that will keep the aphids away. Grief grinds slowly; it devours all the time it needs.” Thus begins Long Litt Woon’s memoir of mourning and mushroom foraging. After 32 years of marriage, Long’s husband suddenly passed away. Lost in a world of grief, she enrolled in a foraging course—a decision that changed the direction of her life. The Way Through the Woodscaptures Long’s journey with loss, as well as how mushrooming helped her reconnect with the world. At the heart of her memoir is the conviction that engaging with mushrooms and the natural world can be a radically transformative experience. Long’s book is a moving read with a different perspective on the fungal world. Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide by Paul St amets