{"id":93096,"date":"2022-12-09T11:41:58","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T11:41:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/?p=93096"},"modified":"2022-12-09T11:53:34","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T11:53:34","slug":"mushroom-spotting-at-bgs-keyworth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bgs.ac.uk\/news\/mushroom-spotting-at-bgs-keyworth\/","title":{"rendered":"Mushroom spotting at BGS Keyworth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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From food to biotechnology, the impressive fungal bodies we all know as mushrooms have a dynamic variety of beneficial uses. That\u2019s just one of the reasons why colleagues from our Keyworth headquarters have started the BGS Mushroom Club.<\/p>\n\n\n

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BGS staff members Penny Reeve and Carol Arrowsmith mushroom spotting around the Keyworth site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

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What began out of curiosity and an excuse to explore the fascinating variety of fungi growing on site at Keyworth has now turned into a growing community of staff with a shared interest. The club gives passionate foragers a chance to share their knowledge and time, searching for and identifying different fungi whilst learning more about their contribution to local biodiversity. The club\u2019s work is also helping to build a more holistic rewilding output on site, creating spaces for nature to thrive in a healthy and sustainable way, and is an important pillar of the BGS Environmental Sustainability Strategy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t

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I think fungi are one of the most fascinating groups of microbes. As a microbiologist, I probably am biased towards finding fungi cool, especially because I have learnt so many amazing facts about them! They are used in so many applications, from food to biotechnology, have many types of visually impressive fruiting bodies and can survive some of the most extreme conditions on Earth.<\/p>\n

What I love most about the mushroom club is that it brings members of staff from many different areas together over a common love for these organisms, creating a community out of a shared interest.<\/p>\n

Jess Mackie, BGS Geomicrobiologist. <\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\t\t\t\n\n\n

So far, the club has identified around 20 different types of mushrooms in Keyworth, including the shaggy inkcap, candlesnuff fungus, violet-toothed polypore and even a variety that probably wouldn\u2019t look out of place in the wizarding world: the obscure-sounding wolf\u2019s-milk slime!<\/p>\n\n\n

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A mature shaggy inkcap found on site. \u00a9 Penny Reeve\/BGS.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

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According to the club\u2019s founders, the shaggy inkcap is particularly prolific on site throughout October to November. It is an edible species, forming tall, white pillars that dissolve as they grow, creating a black \u2018ink\u2019 which spreads the spores. This ink can be used to write with. Inkcaps can be found around the canteen and orchard area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wolf\u2019s-milk slime has been a particularly interesting find this September. It is a slime mold that appears in the form of many tiny red balls that are filled with a pink paste, which pops out when squeezed and looks almost like toothpaste!<\/p>\n\n\n\t\t\t\t

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A young wolf\u2019s milk slime mold cushion oozing a paste when pressure is applied. BGS \u00a9 UKRI.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t

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