The marvels of mushrooms

摘要

Earlier this year, a Toronto gardener called the Toronto Master Gardeners' hotline for help in identifying a mysterious black substance in her garden. To her relief, it turned out to be the decayed remnants of a harmless, common mushroom called MicaCap (Coprinus micaceus). Mushrooms, sometimes called toadstools, are everywhere. They sprout in flower pots and flower beds, on lawns, rotting logs, and trees, and in woodlots and woodlands. Flip open a book on mushrooms, such as Mushrooms of Ontario andEastern Canada, and the colour photographs will astonish you. They will open your eyes to exquisite shapes, colourations, and designs that are a far cry from the domestic store-bought mushroom. Many years ago, I bought a small book of British mushrooms,was amazed by the variety and beauty therein, and promptly added mushrooms to my other nature interests.