Under the fog we met with the little rotters

 
Like this winter morning, last Sunday a thick cloud sat across the land and as I drove the kids to Number 7 Park.  Arriving we spotted some kangaroos and my expectations that the event would be cancelled was quickly squashed.  We had enough families to have two groups of around 30 people and I am quickly learning a spot of fog wont stop the Bendigo Field Naturalists from getting out into the bush and getting close to fungi.

Under the shelter there was a fantastic mushroom display put together for the children, which they could explore real life fungi samples, mushroom prints, books and diagrams.  Here Rod is sharing how to make a mushroom print on paper.

Beautiful prints of fungi spores of all different colours, white, black, pink and yellow can be created.  Basically to create a pring you remove the stem out of the mushroom and placing the gills on the paper, covering with a container over night.

After being advised not to touch fungi, or smell them because their spores can be very harmful to our health. We learnt how fungi like to grow close to trees and in the dark. Like these saffron milk cups growing under a pine tree.

 

 This fungi is growing on a stump called split gill fungi.

Some fungi, like this shelf fungi we found some fungi grows on branches.

Lichen also grows on branches, closely related to fungi.

 

It was a beautiful morning, the bush really was so specially gorgeous and alive in the fog, with light damp air sitting on our shoulders.  The Field Naturalists opened up a new world living in our local forest.  The good news is that a healthy forest has fungi growing within it and we certainly found plenty of little rotters!