2019-02-18
The Fungi of Kew Gardens
Regular readers of the CAS Magazine will have enjoyed the contributions from Laura Martin as she shared her thoughts on some of the fungi she has discovered at Kew Gardens. I thought it was time to find out more about Laura and her interest in fungi.
•What got you interested in fungi?
A special person and a special place: my husband Kevin and being at Kew!
Since the age of 18, my career has been that of a registered dental nurse. I thoroughly enjoy my job, and the variety and challenges it brings. However, apart from spending time with friends and family and going on long dog walks at the weekend, there was little time for anything else in between. Following the birth of our son, I gave up my post at the dental department in Guys Hospital where I was working when we first moved to Kew. In those blissful days of maternity leave, I happily spent many hours each and every day pushing the pram and walking around the gardens come rain or shine.
I breathed in the beauty of the constantly changing gardens, enjoying the plants and trees, and of course the fungi I would stumble upon! I soon became hooked. Kevin introduced me to fungi of specific relevance to the trees, and especially bracket fungi. I found that I was really becoming interested in what these fungi are doing. The work that goes on beneath the world we see; it is a kingdom of its own of course, and something quite special. My life has changed since those halcyon days. Not only am I a mother now, and working part-time, but I also have an interest not related to my day job. That is quite an exciting thing! Work is not my only life anymore and that feels good. I am continuing to learn so much now and truly embrace it as a relaxing pastime.
•What is it specifically about fungi that gets your creative juices flowing?
Their physical appearance is something rather special. I find them striking. However their form in particular, they are unique and are incredible masterpieces of nature.
•What are you presently doing? Are you still working with fungi?
I presently work as a registered dental nurse. (Totally different I know!) I don’t do any paid work with fungi, although I did have a career break from the nursing to have our first child and spent a year working on a natural science biology module. This was really enjoyable, and it kept my brain cells working! Much as I would like to work with fungi professionally, it remains a hobby. I enjoy the day job sufficiently to keep the current balance.
•Difficult question, but do you have a favourite fungus? Or top five? What is the appeal?............
That is a very difficult question! I think if I had to choose a top five, and in no specific order!!! - it would be the ones I particularly hold dear:
Currently fruiting, mycorrhizal with Cedar trees, (go and have a look!) and one of the first fungi that got me hooked. I spotted this beautiful little cup fungus under one of Kew’s cedars when out walking with a friend (who really knows his stuff!) one day. I always get excited to find them when they emerge each year. For me, it was a starting point.
This is not a common one to find, but 2018 was a good year for waxcaps all round (which is great news!) On a family trip to the Isle of Canna last August, I was lucky enough to meet a mycologist, who lives there and who confirmed she had been on the search for this specific one on the island. We went for a walk, we found some south facing basalt on unimproved grassland, (this species thrives on this sort of substrate) and I found something…… I asked my new friend- ‘what is this one?’ And the excitement began! She has found it in other parts of Scotland, but never Canna and as a result, it was a record first for the island!
A really beautiful species, and a very special find for me.
If you have seen this species, you will understand the nomenclature! It’s not a common fungus, but it does reside here in Kew’s bamboo beds! My friend first introduced me to this, and I go back several times a year to see Kew’s collection and how they have progressed. The ‘eggs’ grow beneath the surface and pink ‘arms’ or ‘fingers’ (or tentacles even!) emerge, covered in spore rich gleba that smells putrid, attracting flies, it’s main spore spreader if you like :-) I adore it because it is so weird and wonderful. The way fungi work never ceases to amaze me.
•Who has influenced your passion for fungi? Do you have a mentor?
For sure, my husband Kevin influenced the initial passion. Without his knowledge of trees and the fungi that come with them, I would never have had my eyes opened in the first place. Kevin and I have been together since he first embarked on arboriculture as a teenager. So we have learned a lot together as I shared his journey. Those who know Kevin appreciate that he is a fount of knowledge, and he shares freely with me. Sometimes, I surprise him with how much I have absorbed.
My next influencer, if you like, is a lovely chap who used to work for the Lost and Found Fungi project based here in Kew. We still keep in touch, and he is very passionate about fungi and has a great knowledge of them. We have often forayed around the gardens and I have learned a great deal from him. I also find Andy Overall a superb person to ask any fungi related questions. An expert in his own right, Andy is not only a lovely and genuine chap who enjoys bringing fungi to the people over the course of many years, (‘fungitobewith’). He also knows an incredible amount about fungi. If you have his current book, you will understand. He is my ‘go-to’ guy!
Other than these sources, I go out and I just explore. I am always looking. I refer to books and those who have more knowledge. Turning over logs. Picking up sticks. Digging about in soil. Looking up. Looking down. I strive to learn what that little thing in the ground is. Turning it over. Looking at the gills or pores, what it is growing on or with, the colour and odour. I adore photographing them. Through all this, I teach my son to explore. Being outside is so important. It’s all about going out and having a look. It’s had a really positive impact on my life and now I’m hooked on fungi, I don’t think it will ever leave...
•Future plans?
Right now, I am still just really enjoying my little wanders and finds, alone, with my son, or with a friend. My exploring is no longer just in the gardens but everywhere I go now. I’m always on the lookout! I stay busy with my day job which requires its own commitments, CPD and courses, as well as hoping to embark on a fewpost graduate courses this year too. That and being a mummy and wife, a housekeeper, cook, cleaner, dog mum... (life is busy!) I am always kept on my toes. Fungi has certainly become a deep-rooted passion though, and I endeavour to keep looking and to keep learning. After all, every day’s a school day. I enjoy fungi photos that people share and also sharing my own fungi (and flower!) finds on Instagram where you can find me at ‘@flowerfungifrolicking’ where a lot of it is based in Kew Gardens. I feel extremely fortunate.
I’ll be back soon to share a little more.
Laura