But what if we’re not individuals disconnected from other people and nature, but instead connected to nature and one another by biology and evolution in ways that have powerful implications for our ability to create societies that sustain both us as people and the planet we live on? Instead it has lots of detailed photographs and ticklists for positive identification of 25 of the best and most common edible species. I was particularly fascinated by later chapters on manufacture of so many articles, from shoe leather to housing, being made from varieties of fungus. I have a lot of mushrooms growing around our property in Ashford, Kent and am looking for a substantial guide that is applicable to my area. Thanks Geoff, your book has become an essential companion – a guide that is easy and quick to navigate In the field and a joy to read at home.

Came across your site trying to find a foraging course, with my interest in mushrooms ( since those liberty cap hunting days) reingaged after a woodland walk in Ireland. The Observer's book Of Common Fungi: Describing Nearly 200 Species, With 32 Plates In Full Colour By Ernest C. There’s a feeling of wonder about all of Sheldrake’s sentences which would disarm the most hardened cynic.I also just found out about Darwin's sister's crusade against the stinkwort because it looks like a phallus. The first is a widespread food revolution: no longer is Britain the land of fried breakfasts, fish and chips, roast beef and not much else. You will never walk through a wood in the same way again, now that you're aware of the brilliant mushrooms inhabiting the space, creating their networks, all around you. She is co-author of Pocket Nature: Fungi and is on the editorial board of the journal Field Mycology. The authors below would certainly say so, and fortunately they’ve written some excellent books to introduce you to fungi.

An invaluable reference book to aid identification at home, but a little too big to be used in the field.And if the biology of fungi interests you, there is a large chapter covering the structure, nature, growth, reproduction and habitat needs of basidiomycetes, ascomycetes and lichens. Peter Wohlleben can never be accused of this – here, the subjects of his musings include bacteria, fungi and bark beetles. Mushrooming Without Fear by the same author is a slimmed down version of the same book covering even less species. I especially like the part about the barriers our body uses to keep germs at bay: stuff like our skin, tears, and even mucus!

It’s the first in the British Wildlife Collection published by Bloomsbury, which also includes Meadows, Butterflies and Ants.He draws on groundbreaking scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers.