Blah But Beautiful

Day 363: Blah Coral (Ramaria acrisiccescens) is no mushroom hunter's idea of a prize, not by a long shot. The common name tells you all you need to know about its desirability as a foodstuff. Nevertheless, the corals present (in my opinion) one of the most photogenic growth structures in the fungal kingdom. They are out in abundance presently, poking their spires up through moss and leaves, giving the forest a brush of sea-floor artistry and making one wonder if the dryads have "gone mermaid" for a season. So much forest life depends on fungus. In the macroscopic view, animals and insects consume them, and they aid the decomposition process. From the microscopic point, vast swaths of mycorrhizae extend beneath the soil surface, breaking down materials into forms which can be utilized by plants of all sorts. Some plants (the mycoheterotrophs) cannot exist without a fungal partner. Blah Coral may not have any gustatory appeal, but it and its fungal kin are vital to the health of the forest.