Zombie Ants and the Weird, Weird World of Fungi!

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ZOMBIE ANTS

There are people who claim that mushrooms can save the world, and others who say they farm the world, and you can truly start to believe that fungi are the superior species when you hear about Zombie Ants. These poor hardworking ants, just trying to do their best for the colony, are the unfortunate recipients of the spores of a certain fungus. The fungus settles into the ant host body, slowly killing the ant. But just before the final ant gasp, the fungus directs the ant to climb to the top of the nearest rock, leaf or branch. There it sends out its fruiting body, the mushroom, from the skull of the ant. Now it has an elevated platform from which to release its spores and send them out into the world. Ghoulish as that sounds, it might explain Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s erratic behaviour.

It was Metchosin’s great good fortune to have the entertaining Britt Bunyard, a world-renowned mycologist (mushroom expert) and editor of Fungi Magazine, give a fascinating presentation on the Weird, Weird, Weird World of Mushrooms at the November Talk and Walk. If you want a topic that appeals to a wide range of Metchosin residents, mushrooms are it! This was the eighth annual mushroom presentation and it rivals the infamous Sasquatch Talk (no Walk) for the number of interested people who attended (around ninety in both cases). It’s a testament to the allure of fungi to see that two-thirds of the attendees were under the age of thirty.

This year we started our first MycoBlitz, a continuation of the spring BioBlitz that has seen us record approximately 1,200 species within Metchosin’s borders. A MycoBlitz is an inventory of all the fungi species that can be found during a twenty-four hour period. About eighty keen mushroomers met with a number of experts to explore the Van der Meer property, Camp Thunderbird and Pearson College. The sorting and recording of the mushrooms was held at the Pearson College cafeteria (thanks Pearson College!) and many students were able to join in the excitement of the event. Although the final count is yet to be determined (mushrooms can be hard to identify), the estimate is an additional 200 species that can be added to the bioinventory. Certainly, a number of species were found that have not been recorded previously in Metchosin, and there are some that are still being examined that might be interesting new additions to the fungi of BC.

2013 is being hailed as the best year for fungi in the last fifteen; the diversity of species and the abundance has had the mushroom world swooning with pleasure, with many larders full to bursting with an excellent harvest of chanterelles and hedgehogs.

Thanks to the District of Metchosin, Pearson College, Metchosin Foundation, Camp Thunderbird, Camosun College, Andy MacKinnon, Kem Luther, Adolf and Oluna Ceska and Britt Bunyard for making the MycoBlitz a huge success. When completed a list of the fungi species recorded from the MycoBlitz will be found at metchosinbiodiversity.com

Wildlife Trees

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WILDLIFE TREES

At one time wildlife trees were called snags, and considered an unhealthy component of the forest, useful only as firewood or felled because of safety concerns. Over the years, our knowledge of forest ecology has increased and wildlife trees have undergone a transformation from the perception of them as sick and decadent, to the realization that they are an integral and important component of forest health. Over eighty wildlife species native to British Columbia depend on these trees for some portion of their lives.

What is a Wildlife Tree?

A wildlife tree is any standing, dead or live tree, with characteristics that provide habitat for wildlife.

Why Are Wildlife Trees Important?

Wildlife trees are essential contributors to ecological diversity. They provide food, shelter, nesting, roosting or denning sites, or hunting perches. When dead, they continue to play a critical role in providing habitat as they begin the long, slow process of nurturing a new cycle of plant and animal growth, providing nutrients to the forest floor.

What makes a Good Wildlife Tree?

A good wildlife tree has at least two of the following characteristics present:

§  Internal decay

§  Large crevices in bark

§  Large witches’ brooms,

§  Active or recent wildlife use such as woodpecker nest holes and fresh wood chips at the base of the tree,

§  Insect infestation,

§  Solid structure suitable for wildlife uses such as a bear den, hunting perch, large nest,

§  Tall, large diameter trees (>70 cm)

Cavities

A broken branch, stem scar, frost crack, or other damage, which allows the decay process to begin, creates cavities. Heart rot softens the interior of the wood and primary cavity excavators, such as woodpeckers are then able to excavate and create holes.

Squirrels, salamanders, small owls and some ducks are secondary cavity users, they cannot excavate their own nest holes and must rely on natural cavities or those created and abandoned by woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees and sapsuckers.

Bark

The bark of old trees can be deeply furrowed, providing habitat for insects, and food for woodpeckers and other bark gleaners. When a tree dies, and as the bark begins to loosen and peel away, the protected spaces under the bark provide roosting and nesting space for bats and brown creepers.

Hollows

Trees with hollow trunks and sturdy shells are uncommon and provide shelter and safety for many species. They are even used as denning sites by black bears. Hollow trunks are formed by interior decay and can be unstable; they benefit by retaining a surrounding treed buffer zone that supplies some wind fastness, as well as enhancing the habitat value of the hollow tree.

Witches’ Brooms

Large, dense clusters of branches provide nesting and security areas for mammals such as squirrels and marten, and some birds.

WHICH TREE SPECIES ARE THE BEST WILDLIFE TREES?

Which Tree Species are the Best Wildlife Trees?

In the coastal forests of BC, large, long-lived species such as Douglas-fir, Grand Fir, Western Redcedar and Western Hemlock are preferred by wildlife for cavity construction, and nesting or denning. Larger diameter deciduous trees, particularly Cottonwood, Red Alder and Bigleaf Maple, can also become excellent wildlife trees.

Dead Wood and Firewood

After a tree has fallen, it can retain habitat values for centuries by providing moist breeding and egg laying sites for amphibians, drumming sites for grouse, habitat for myriad insect species, which in turn feed many creatures, nurse logs for plants, and by enriching and stabilizing soil. It is beneficial to leave the dead and rotting trees for wildlife habitat and ecological functions, rather than use as firewood.

A better firewood alternative is to use small to medium diameter trees such as red alder and Douglas-fir that are cut green and allowed to adequately cure for a season.

Check BEFORE You Cut

Look for obvious signs of wildlife use: nests, feeding or denning holes, wood chips around base of tree, claw marks or fur on bark, food caches, or bat or bird guano around or beneath the tree.

Wildlife trees are critically important to the biodiversity of our forests, please consider leaving them alone, unless they pose a threat to life and property.

With thanks to, and for further information, see:

Mike Fenger, Todd Manning, John Cooper, Stewart Guy and Peter Bradford, “Wildlife & Trees in British Columbia,” Lone Pine Publishing, 2006.

And

BC Ministry of Forests brochure: Stand Level Biodiversity