Strange things appear in the forests and chaparral of California after a big rain.
Invigorated by the damp, fungi living quietly in the soil sprout fruiting bodies.
With each emergence comes a chance for mushroom hunters to identify new species.
As many as 95 percent of the planet’s fungal species have yet to be described, according to a 2023 report from Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
With sequencing, fungus enthusiasts often identify fungi that are the first examples of their kind in the databases.
Persons:
Mandie Quark
Organizations:
Royal Botanic, California’s, Survey
Locations:
California, Kew