Spores drift through a dark wonderland, carried on the breath of a weeping toadstool to destinations unknown. This psychedelic scene is the work of a toxic Amanita muscaria mushroom, commonly called the fly agaric, viewed up close as part of a study on how fungi spread their spores by making their own wind.
Previous work showed that cup-shaped fungi such as cottony mould and morels stir a breeze by simultaneously ejecting spores
But capped mushrooms such as fly agaric, oysters and shiitakes (below) instead make their own weather to loft their spores, says Emilie Dressaire at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. These fungi release water vapour, which cools the nearby air and creates localised convection. Speaking at a physics meeting this week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Dressaire suggested that many mushroom species might use water to make wind. It seems that the more we learn about mushrooms, the curiouser and curiouser they become.
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