This informative video by naturalist and mycophile Damaris Brisco explores what’s underneath “a very good stick.” In addition to revealing a small surprise or two, Brisco’s video is chock-full of fungi-focused vocabulary words and a solid sense of wonder. Her quiet and respectful approach in nature makes for an especially excellent video for kids of all ages.
Set in Roy’s Redwoods Open Space Preserve in Coast Miwok Territory, Marin County, this introduction to mycelium—”the part of the fungus that does the eating”—is accompanied with calming audio by the Pacific Wren and Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Related reading: Feather millipedes, a fungivore or a mycovore in the genus Brachycybe: “While most millipedes feed on leaf litter or other plant matter, Brachycybe are thought to feed primarily on fungus, and may be found under rotting logs or stumps.”
Follow this with how mycelium is used in sustainable ways: Mycelium packaging, a biodegradable alternative to styrofoam and Fungus: The Plastic of the Future.
Plus: Fungi Matter, an animation for Kew. and The Wood Wide Web: How trees secretly talk to and share with each other.
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