大象传媒

October is the prime month for the emergence of many fungi. Throughout the year an intricate network of fungal threads creeps through the soil and rotten wood. Triggered by autumn rains they grow quickly. The aptly-named stinkhorn grows overnight, enticing flies with its odour of rotten meat. Feeding on its decomposing fluids the flies unwittingly carry away its spores which will then germinate into new fungal webs. But most fungi spores are spread by the wind. The earthstar, for example, is exploded by droplets of water, sending it spores into the air. The giant puffball dries out and rolls away, shedding its pores once dislodged.