Summer passed uneventfully; we were lucky compared with many other parts of the country.
Autumn is the time to look in all areas for fungi, many of which have striking colours. But more than that, they come in a wonderful array of forms, and if you want to delve further, many have very intimate association with plants. In some cases this association is very specific and if a tree for example becomes extinct, so too does the associated fungus. Under the ‘toadstool’ is a network of roots called a mycelium and this what interacts with the plants, often to the benefit of both. The fungus causing kauri dieback is far from beneficial and is a therefore called a parasite. A similar one kills small patches of kawakawa in Webb’s Bush.
The visible and often very briefly apparent part is the reproductive organ which sheds tiny spores. These are distributed in many ways, some obvious and some less so.
