A ‘bodysnatching fungi’ is terrorising the lawns of Haddo House in Aberdeenshire, according to the National Trust for Scotland. If you were to ask me what my least favourite words in the English language might be, I would likely respond with ‘bodysnatching’ and ‘fungus’, but according to the charity, the presence of the ‘Strathy Strangler’ (Squamanita pearsonii) is actually a good thing, as Haddo House is one of the nation’s premiere fungi habitats.
The repulsive and voracious mycelial predator is known to frequent the lawns, where it feasts upon its host the Earthy Powdercap (Cystoderma amianthinum). It infiltrates its victim through an underground system of threads called hyphae, and slowly takes over its body, growing up its stem, and sucking out all of the nutrients. This is apparently interesting and a sign of a good ecosystem in action, rather than the beginning of some John Carpenter-esque horror film.
A Powdercap mushroom, savaged by the Strathy Strangler.
‘The spectacle only becomes apparent after the Earthy Powdercap loses its usual sandy colour, taking on a shaggy, grey appearance after the Strangler has overcome its victim,’ says Roddy Hamilton, National Trust for Scotland countryside ranger. Mr Hamilton also said that the Strathy Strangler only parasitises one type of fungus, which sounds exactly like what a countryside ranger who has been taken over by a parasitic fungus would say in order to avoid suspicion.
The lawns at Haddo are a rich hunting ground for all kinds of fungi, boasting 20 different species of waxcaps, 18 species of pink-gill mushrooms and 10 species of coral fungi. None are as evil as the Strathy Stranger, which demands the flesh of other beings to sustain itself. Disgusting.
A Violet Coral fungi, which is lovely and not parasitic at all.
‘Very little conservation exists for waxcaps across Scotland, except for a few locations where grasslands are managed for nature conservation, like at Haddo,’ says Mr Hamilton. ‘Grassland meadows generally are valuable for everything from carbon storage to ecosystem services like pollination and are a whole ecosystem in themselves. Fungi are an important part of grassland ecosystems and our conservation efforts aim to enhance the habitat to make it more suitable for the fungi, rather than eradicate the parasite.’
Despite their many horrors, fungi are a vital part of the grassland ecosystem and species such as waxcaps have suffered as a result of persistent use of agricultural methods such as fertilisers. Thanks to the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery and the National Trust of Scotland’s Love Our Nature project, the site at Haddo is conserved and monitored, allowing the many fungi present to thrive. Which I suppose is good, even if the wretched Strathy Strangler is one of them.
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