The Fungus among Us

 Back in the spring, I celebrated the green of North Carolina in contrast to the Arizona desert. Currently, thanks to daily thunderstorms, the earth is ripe for fungi, which are in my experience never green. Nevertheless fungi can be quite colorful, a harbinger of the fall color to come. Others are quite striking even though monochromatic, like the one pictured to the right, which looks more like a coral formation than a fungus.





The Wikipedia site for fungus contains some fascinating information, e.g., fungi are classified as a "kingdom" separate from plants, animals, and bacteria and though claimed by botanists actually have more in common with animals than with plants.

And did you know that yeast is a member of the fungus kingdom. Some folks find fungi creepy and some are downright deadly, but without yeast, at least, there'd be no beer or wine. 'Nuf said.

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(photos by John Floyd)