Young naturalists have fun with fungi

Wet weather did little to dampen the enthusiasm of some of Albany’s young science minds from their annual mushroom hunt at the weekend.

About a dozen Young Naturalists Club members and their parents took to Mt Melville on Sunday afternoon for their sixth Fungi Foray event.

Event co-ordinator Peter Pritchard said the first Fungi Foray was held at Monkey Rock in Denmark in 2011.

“The aim is to give the kids an idea of the types of fungi out there and the important role it plays in breaking down the forest’s debris,” Mr Pritchard said.

On Sunday, the group hiked a section of the Bibbulmun Track to a granite outcrop, spotting various mushroom species which had sprouted after recent rains.

“They used mirrors to look underneath the mushrooms to see if they were gilled or pored (varieties),” Mr Pritchard said.

“We also looked at coral fungi ... and one called velvet black earth tongue, which is usually difficult to find because it is the size and appearance of a matchstick and is often buried in leaf litter.

“They always seem to enjoy it and get very good at spotting them.”