Funga Obscura: Photo Journeys Among Fungi

An unforgettable visual journey through the kingdom of fungi, both enigmatic and entrancing. Recyclers, enablers of life, creators of soil, food for many—fungi are as stunning as they are diverse. Alison Pouliot studies these organisms with a unique vision. As a scientist and photographer, she has led hundreds of forays through the forests of the Americas, Australia, and Europe. In this book, she gives readers a glimpse of these global explorations with stunning photographs and meditations to match. She says her camera is where fungal lives come most clearly into focus. And like the camera obscura, this book, Funga Obscura, captures brief mycological moments and unforgettable fungus scenes. The word funga refers to the fungi of a region, and Pouliot’s photography spans continents. We see a parade of violet webcap mushrooms, spotted in the understory of a Pacific Northwest forest; beautifully blue pixie’s parasols in Australia; an Italian alpine lichen, looking for all the world like a treasure map; a showstopping whitelaced shank, ready to spread its spores in Switzerland. We learn that fungi live almost everywhere, from our lawns to forests and woodlands, from the ocean’s depths to deserts and alpine peaks. Yet, like a web of rootlike mycelium, this book goes deeper to investigate how fungi shape landscapes and interact with other organisms, including us. This journey also spans eons, from long ago in evolutionary time, when fungi first emerged from the ocean onto land, to today, when we can still witness fungi at work. The scenes here challenge our ideas about what fungi are, what they do, and why they matter. In Pouliot’s photographs, you might recognize a few old friends, but many mushrooms will be new acquaintances. Sometimes they make their presence immediately known; at other times, they just provide clues—and trails to follow.