Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists by Money, Nicholas P.. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780195154573.

Stinkhorns, puffballs, the "corpse finder," deadly galerina, Satans bolete, birch conks, black mold, the old man of the woods--the world of fungi is infinitely varied and not a little weird. Now, in Mr. Bloomfields Orchard, Nicholas Money introduces readers to a dazzling array of fungi, from brewers yeast and Penicillium to the highly lethal death cap. This is an entertaining book that also provides a solid introduction to the biology of fungi as well as much insight into how scientists study fungi in the lab and in the field. Readers will be intrigued by the many exotic fungi discussed. One fungus in Oregon, for instance, covers 2,000 acres and is now considered the worlds largest organism. We learn of Madurella, which can erode bones until they look moth-eaten; Cordyceps, which wracks insects with convulsions, kills them, then sends a stalk out of the insects head to release more infectious spores; and Claviceps, the poisonous ergot fungus, which causes hallucinations (the women charged with "demonic possession" in Salem in 1691 may have been victims of ergot consumption). Money also showcases the lives of famed mycologists--including Reginald Buller who wore horse blinders as he walked to work, the better to study luminescent fungi in his dark lab, and Charles Tulasne, the Audubon of fungi, whose illustrations of specimens border on art. And he recounts his own childhood introduction to fungi in Mr. Bloomfields orchard, where trees and fruit were devoured by a rogues gallery of bitter rot, canker, rust, powdery mildew, rubbery wood, and scab. Told with a refreshing sense of humor, Mr. Bloomfields Orchard will fascinate anyone interested in the natural world.