There's a great book I've been reading called Mycellium Running by Paul Stamets (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mycelium_Running) that talks about how important fungi are in the ecosystem and how much the fungal networks support and sustain trees and plants. It seems the complex role of fungi has only begun to be appreciated in the last generation and there is lots to be learnt about how they can be used to restore degraded environments and be used as part of sustainable practices in farming, forestry and general land management.
Aside from that it’s been fascinating trying to muddle through researching the mushrooms that I’ve found. From photos on New Zealand websites I’ve identified these as Auricularea Cornea (Woodear mushrooms), although they also looks like Auricularia polytricha, and are similar to Auricularea auricula-judae (Jews ear fungus). I’m actually not sure if these are all slightly different species, or just different names for the same mushrooms. But it seems like they’re pretty common and found in many parts of the world. They’re also edible, although I didn’t find that out for a while and now they aren’t looking so tasty!
The most interesting thing I’ve found about these fungi is that because they are edible and also used in Chinese medicine they were a major export from Taranaki in the 1870s. Chinese immigrant Chew Chong (Chau Tseung?) settled in New Plymouth after he discovered how prolific the fungi were there and set up an export business which made his fortune and resulted in Taranaki becoming known as the ‘fungus province’. Woodear mushrooms continued to be exported until the 1960s when the Taiwanese worked out how to cultivate them on sawdust.
A more detailed account of the story can be found here: http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/fungi-te-henui/jews-ear-fungi.html
Ok, stay tuned for the next installment which is not a mushroom!
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