Fungi

Fungi are often confused with plants but are actually their own kingdom of lifeforms that have more in common with animals.

This is because unlike plants which can make their own food through photosynthesis, fungi are heterotrophs that need to eat food to survive. They do this by ‘feeding’ on dead matter such as rotting wood.

Despite the shire’s relatively dry climate, there is still an abundance of different fungi species that occur across the region.

They are most conspicuous when the fruiting bodies appear above the ground, typically after rain between autumn and spring.

Mycorrhizal fungi are a group of fungi that connect to the roots of plants, the plant sharing sugars it produces through photosynthesis and the fungi sharing nutrients it obtains by breaking down organic matter.

Plants rely on mycorrhizal fungi to receive enough nutrients, and so this relationship is essential to healthy ecosystems.