Colorful beauty of mushrooms

Martin Harper, an expert of the RSBP conservation organization in the UK, says mushrooms are important organisms, but are not respected, in our world.

Mushrooms are neither animals nor plants. They are self-sustaining eukaryotes with cell walls with chitin.

Humans do not see most fungal species on earth for most of the year, because they grow in soil, humus, dead organisms.

All fungal species play an important role in the ecosystem around them, including those that can cause disease. Mushrooms decompose organic compounds so they are an important link in the metabolism and material exchange.

Many colors and smells are outstanding features of Russula genus mushrooms.

Cordyceps militaris mushrooms often kill butterflies in the soil.

Amanita muscaria is a fungus that grows in bulo trees. Although they contain toxins, they often appear in Christmas postcards and children's books.

Experts recommend that people should not arbitrarily pick and eat mushrooms, because some fungi are poisonous, which can cause poisoning or even death.

Red water oozes from Hydnellum peckii, a fungus that grows in pine forests.