The Forests of Gadoli and Manda
Khal are proving to be a treasure trove of temperate biodiversity. As I study
the rich plant diversity here recording the numerous species of trees, shrubs,
creepers and herbs, the monsoon months is an ideal time to record one of nature’s
wonders – Fungi.
Fungi come in many shapes, forms
and colours and can be edible as well as poisonous. Personally, I prefer not to
tamper with wild mushrooms and am quite happy to photograph them as a part of
the photo database on biodiversity in these forests.
The rich leaf litter of oak
leaves with thick back humus underneath remains quite moist and is prime
habitat for fungal hyphae to grow and sprout the distinguishable umbrella like
structures we fondly called toadstools.
As I surveyed the forests of
Gadoli and Manda Khal, I was surprised to find the wealth of habitats that
these mushrooms use which ranged from forest soils, to tree trunks, growing
along with carpets of moss, dung piles and even from pine cones.
These wonderful components of the
ecosystem play a vital role as decomposers, breaking down dead and decaying life forms into simpler
components which eventually form soil without which trees would not be able to
grow and we all know that forests are made up of a lot of trees.
So as the song of life goes on in
it’s never ending cycle, it would be perhaps very appropriate to say that the
Phycology of Mycology makes protecting and studying the forests of the Gadoli
and Manda Khal Fee Simple Estates well worth the effort.
