Jay Lichter has a new book. The Secret Life of Fungi. It’s a guide to New Zealand’s micro marvels, packed with photos of fungi and slime molds that look like they’re from another planet. Or just very, very strange.
Take the ruby bonnet fungus. Scientific name: Cruentomycena vishidocruenta. The Latin breaks down to “bloody” and “slimy”. Not exactly romantic. Its stalk is coated in sticky glop that forms large droplets. Lichter loves this. He hits them with diffused flash, catching the reflections in the goo. “I never get sick of shooting them.” Who can blame him? It makes for an awesome shot.
Not all fungi are fungi. See the Cribraria below. It’s a slime mold. A protist, like amoebas or some algae. Biology is messy that way.
Then there’s the carnival candy slime mold. Arcyria denudated. Named for pink tufts that appear when it fruits. Tiny. Four to six millimeters tall. You’ll miss it if you’re not looking closely.
Lichter found Mycena lividorubra under a log. Hidden away in New Zealand’s Waitākere Range. Uncommon stuff.
But check this one out. Another Mycena, sure. But it’s been hit by mold. Lichter calls it a “bridal veil”. Soft. Ethical maybe? Then things get weird. The mold itself is sweating. Literally. Droplets of guttation—excess moisture—lining up on its threads. Wild. Absolute chaos.
Do we really know what’s living under our boots? Lichter says find moss. Find rotting wood. Or just hit up a parking lot. Vacant lots work too.
“Even the most unassuming locations, exploding with fungal life.”
Allen & Unwin published this for NZ readers. Go look closer next time you’re outside. You might be walking through a forest of secrets.
Jay Lichter 🍄
