Fungi in the tall forests

To the casual visitor, the colours that predominate the tall forests are likely to be varied shades of green with splashes of grey and brown. Sure, you’ll get the yellow blossom of the acacias in late winter and spring -and the cream flowers of members of the daisy family such as Cassinia and Olearia – however, the most vivid colours you’ll often see come from the multitude of fungi species that thrive in the cool moist environment. While autumn is often the best season to see a wide variety of species, I’ve seen outstanding fungi at all times of the year. Fungi are responsible for breaking down all the dead organic matter in the forest. Without fungi, the accumulation of dead twigs, branches and leaves would pile up so high around the eucalypts you could never walk through it. Fungi are also largely responsible for the formation of hollows in trees (left) creating habitat for many mammal and bird species.

A special thanks to Tom May of the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria for the identification of many of the species listed below. Furthermore, if you see an interesting fungi species while out in the bush, and want to find out what it is, an excellent online reference is Fungimap: https://fungimap.org.au/