Fascinating fungi

Microscopic fungi are believed to number more than one million species, and they play varied and often valuable roles. Yeast fungi are used to leaven bread and enable the production of wine and spirits. Antibiotics like penicillin and cephalosporin are derived from fungi, along with the anti-rejection drug cyclosporin, enabling human organ transplants.

Fungi that are large enough to see with the naked eye are called macrofungi. In the forest ecosystem, they play important roles, converting dead wood to soil and returning vast amounts of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

Warm and wet weather conditions in the Upper Delaware region lately have encouraged many fungi to appear throughout the Upper Delaware region, making this an excellent time to search forest landscapes for their presence. Look for them in damp shaded areas poking through the forest duff or clinging to rotting wood.

Identifying fungi correctly can be quite challenging. But don’t let proper naming keep you from enjoying these woodland inhabitants for their variety of colors, forms and textures.

Depicted here are just a few species of the genera of bracket fungi, which usually grow from the side of trees. While some are quite substantial, others are small and delicate. Due to their typically tough exteriors, bracket fungi can live for weeks, months and sometimes even years.