IN THIS LESSON:

Bryophilous fungi are the el dorado beneath your step. Next time you find yourself on a hike, see if you can observe any necrotic patches peppering bryophytes along the trail

Things you’ll need for this section:

1) 10x hand lens (preferably with light)

2) field knife (primarily for bark + rock bryophytes)

3) paper bags + packets (for folding resources, click here)

The field of bryo-mycology is about pattern recognition. Always keep a field journal with you in the field and note habitat, shade characteristics, humidity, elevation, etc. I once saw the fungus Hilberina sphagnorum, which parasitizes Sphagnum moss, tucked into a peatland depression where both shade and humidity were slightly elevated. Now I have this microniche added to my bryofungi field toolkit.

A helpful resource for getting started in bryology: https://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/learning/getting-started/

Identifying bryophilous fungi in the field often recalls an afternoon in which a relative has lost a wedding ring and you’ve just been enlisted to help echo-locate it.. except it’s autumn and the ground is woven in multiple layers of decay