The Secret Life of Fungi by Jay Lichter

Jay Lichter has combined his amazing talent for macro photography, and his obsession for fungi, in The Secret Life of Fungi, a book filled with breathtaking photographs of this hidden kingdom.

In his introduction, he emphasises just how important fungi are and how they are the fabric that ties together just about everything we need, appreciate and love.

He tells how he has spent countless hours shuffling around in the moss, mud, and undergrowth of the autumnal bush, getting tangled up in supplejack vines, slipping down hills and achieving contortionist poses bordering on the acrobatic to locate fungi to photograph.

Jay Lichter has found some incredible fungi in home gardens and carparks, but he says his favourite places are in pristine native bush and beech forests, as apart from the richness and diversity of species to be found there, they are such pleasant places to be.

He encourages readers to join in a fungi hunt. Although the fungi season is around autumn, and winter has started now, he firmly believes that you can usually find some interesting stuff regardless of the season if you look hard enough, and you may even find a new species, as there are many fungi yet to be discovered.

So why not head off into the bush, camera at hand and embark on your own fungi hunt? Jay’s notes about when and where to find them are a great starting point.

Soil, moss, and rotten wood are where fungi are most often found, so the ground is a good place to look. But fungi also grow on tree trunks and branches. Do not be in a rush! Take the time to look carefully, and you are very likely to find some.

There are challenges to overcome when photographing tiny fungi. For those keen to try their hand at macro photography, he lists his own camera and photographic gear. He emphasises the importance of lighting and why it is important to use a process, which he has used for every photo in this book, called focus stacking, to create a nice, sharp picture.

Then follows the main part of the book showcasing his beautiful photographs. On one side of each double-page spread of The Secret Life of Fungi, a different fungus is featured, which he has enlarged to take up a full page.

On the opposite page, the name of the fungus is at the top. Getting my tongue around their scientific names was a challenge! To give a few examples: Cruentomycena viscidocruenta, Roridomyces austrororidus, Mycena lividorubra and Favolaschia pustulosa. But the notes about each fungus are written in very accessible language, which the general reader would have no trouble understanding. For each fungus, they include:

1. Where and when to find it. He has travelled far and wide to hunt for fungi and lists where he found each fungus and at what time of the year including the Waitākere and Hūnua ranges in the Auckland region, Kōtuku Moana Lake Brunner and the Franz Joseph Glacier on the West Coast, and the Kepler track in Fiordland.

2. How to identify it. He provides an accurate description of its form, colour, and texture.

3. Did you know? Here, he shares interesting facts about each fungus.

Learning about fungi is part of the science curriculum so a copy should be in every school library. Students would undoubtedly be fascinated by Jay Lichter’s incredible photographs of quirky, alien-like fungi, which would motivate them to learn more about these fungi.

Although this is not a comprehensive guide of all the fungi of Aotearoa, but only of those Jay Lichter has found and photographed (there are a great many yet to be discovered), naturalists will find this book an invaluable way to build their knowledge of Aotearoa’s fungi.

But The Secret Life of Fungi also deserves a wider audience. Most people know very little about fungi and do not appreciate the crucial role they play in our ecosystem. In the bush, they are the great recyclers which break down organic material and return vital nutrients to the soil. Without them, the forest would over the ages have become littered sky high with fallen tree trunks and animal remains and become impassible. His beautiful photographs and evocative descriptions are a wonderful way to raise public awareness about our precious hidden fungi kingdom.

Reviewer: Lyn Potter

Allen & Unwin