Exploration of Fungus

         On Friday of November 16, 2012 me and the rest of the Biology class set aside our work inside to explore the mysteries of the forest that lay rest between the park and Fleetwood Park Secondary. The main reason why we were outside in the forest to to observed fungus in real life. We were taught by our teacher Ms. Iannone the different types of fungus that are all around us today such as Oomycota , Zygomycota, Basidiomycota, and Deuteromycota, so finding the fungus was a breeze. Fruticose and Crustose Lichens were pretty everywhere, covering the surface of trees, stumps, and even rocks.As for the Foliose Lichens I was unable to find any but given lichens I sighted, I am pretty sure that I potted it but was just unable to recognize it ...oh well .I was disappointed that I couldn't see any Oomycota living in the river. I really wanted to see the spores that they produce and how they swim to their target but unfortunately for you can everything that you wish for. There were also many mushrooms and a dead mouse that were discovered during that wonderful time of exploring. These mushrooms are just interesting by their appearances and their home that they grow such as shelf mushroom, toadstools, and puffballs. My final thoughts on that trip was I will and always hate fungus but continue on eating mushroom (the good kinds) because they are delicious but I also realized how important they are to the environment around us and to earth itself. Fungus are the major decomposers in world because since they eat dead organisms, Carbon dioxide is release back to the air and without them the world would come to an end. They are also the reason how plants get their nutrients and help grow and produce the food that we eat now. I may not like them and prefer animal studies more, I do respect them and hope other people realized the major contribution that fungus put into this fragile world.

Pictures: Pretty much all my pictures were poorly taken and bad quality but it is better than having no pictures at all.

Amanita muscaria
http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Amanita_muscaria.html

Jelly Mushroom
http://kids.britannica.com/elementary/art-60441/Jelly-fungi-were-named-for-their-jellylike-bodies

Fruticose Lichens
http://www.hiltonpond.org/ThisWeek010222.html

Crustose Lichens

Shelf Mushrooms

Infected Leaf that caught Rusts

More Mushrooms (even though it is colourless, could be dangerous) 

A Squirrel just chilling on a a side of a tree eating.