The botany professor must have assumed we knew something about economics. He said we’ d soon understand it better. Then he handed out shovels and told us to meet outside. We walked to a forested area off campus and for the next hour we dug a long, deep hole next to trees. This soil profile— cut flat, with clean sides deep into the hillside— was our first glimpse at the underground world of mycelium.
Long, delicate, white threads, called hyphae, clung to the undersides of rotten bark as shovels dug into dirt. Some threads were destroyed by our digging, but enough remained to see their point of attachment. Thick tree roots intertwined with longer ones, thin ones moved up to the surface where tiny feeder roots and the threads touched the bottom of leaves and twigs. Like the subway network, exchange of nutrients, water, and microbes of an infinite amount took place here. An underground world was revealed, and we picked it apart, finding along with the mycelium, buried nuts, earthworm tunnels and discarded insect shells. The lesson from fungi that day was that a lowly, non-chlorophyllic plant, barely visible and appearing sterile, made an impact.
If we think of nature as a series of separate systems, loosely connected except maybe by the same weather, it’ s an injustice. From early on, there’ s an important lesson in life we observe, then are taught; things work with other things. Interdependencies and relationships exist. And it’ s a truism in nature, maybe mystifying at first, but tested by science, retested, then analyzed over time. Those who examine further might stumble upon more connections, other associations not yet known.
“ The first law of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts,” said biologist and author, Aldo Leopold. The essential parts, some subtle, some more noticeable, all work together. When a part goes missing, at some point we notice things aren’ t working as well. That missing part may be vital.
The task fungus plays, often overlooked and seemingly insignificant, aids in decomposition, recycling nutrients, and plant communications. It certainly ranks right up there in importance with the green world around us and is a vital part in all ecosystems.
Happy mushrooming this spring. •
To inquire about this or other articles, contact the author at: jpeagleman @ gmail. com
Brown County Model Trains
Trains: Electric, Wooden, and Christmas
Magnets • Puzzles • Local Preserves • Kid-Friendly 75 S. Jefferson St. • Antique Alley • 317-783-6726
Stoneware pottery handmade in Brown County, Indiana
812-398-8010 www. HollyPots. com
Main Street Shoppes( Old School Way) 59 E. Main St. Suite G. • Nashville
The Totem Post
78 S. Van Buren St. Nashville, IN 812-988-2511 TheTotemPost. com
~ Since 1952 ~
• Genuine Native American Jewelry
• Zuni Fetishes
• Sterling Silver Jewelry
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~ Open all year ~
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COFFEE BAR It’ s like a coffee shop in a living room( with things to amuse you)
Hot, Cold & Frozen Drinks • Selection of Teas Froothies( our fruit smoothies)
Famous for Cheesy Eggs & Toast • Pastries • Quiche
66 N. Van Buren, Nashville( Molly’ s Lane behind the red door) Opens 8:00 am M-Sat; 9:00 am Sun( Closed Wed) 812-988-6449
May / June 2025 • Our Brown County 59