Fungi Hunt

       On Friday afternoon, our class and I adventured through the forest looking for fungi. It was strange seeing that I've visited the trail many times but had never noticed the variety of fungi. I was able to spot and identify many of the fungi we had learned about in class.

        In class we learnt about these different phyla of fungi: Oomycota (protistlike fungi), Zygomycota (common molds) , Ascomycota (sac fungi), Basidiomycota (club fungi), and Deuteromycota (imperfect fungi). We also learned that the role they play for the environment, as decomposers, is very important. I wasn't able to see fungi from all the phylum which I had learnt about. However the few fungi which I did see where fascinating.
        We learned about lichen also. In class we learned about foliose lichen (leafy), crustose lichen (crusty) and the fructicose lichen (shrubby). I found it difficult to identify the lichen because there was a great deal of moss on the forest's tress and rocks.
        I enjoyed getting to take the knowledge we learned in class, and then applying it.This fungi hunt was a great hands on experience. It was way more exciting then doing a worksheet or reading from the textbook.The fungi which I saw most were of the phylum Basidiomycota. Such as shelf fungi, mushrooms and jelly fungi. 
        Here are a few photographs from the fungi hunt: 

Shelf Fungi On A Log

Shelf Fungi On The Bottom Of A Log

A Large Variety Of Fungi Decomposing A Log 

A Mushroom On The Forest Floor

A Much Smaller Mushroom

   

Jelly Fungi 

More Jelly Fungi On A Tree Stump

Lichen On Tree Bark