Viral Stories: Environment

, by DailyMore

The ‘Dead Man’s Fingers’ Fungus looks as creepy as it sounds

Mother Earth can truly surprise us in many ways – just look at these giant bats or these angry-looking ‘snakes’ spotted lurking in a tree. When Regan Daniels, a resident of North Carolina, shared a series of photographs of something resembling a deceased person’s toes on the Facebook group Mushroomcore, her images quickly spread like wildfire.

And when you look closer at the pictures, it’s easy to see why. Not a Halloween decoration, nor remnants of an old murder scene. When Regan Daniels was out walking in Western North Carolina in June 2020, she stumbled upon something that made her come to a halt. She picked up her camera and captured the peculiar sight she encountered, uploading the pictures to a Facebook group called Mushroomcore.

The 30,000 members in the group are used to seeing stunning images and remarkable details from the forest – but Regan’s photograph stood out from the rest. So, what did she come across? Well, Regan had photographed a fungus known as Dead Man’s Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha). With its swollen, blackened “fingers” stretching towards the sky, the Dead Man’s Fingers aptly earn their name as they eerily resemble someone buried beneath the forest floor, making a desperate final attempt to break free. “Saw this Dead Man’s Fingers (or toes in this case) fungus that I literally thought was a Halloween decoration!,” Regan wrote in her post.

The appearance is both striking and unique, but the fact is that this fungus is relatively common and can be found all year round. These type of mushrooms are quite prevalent in Britain, Ireland, mainland Europe, and various regions across North America. Hence, it’s not impossible to come across swollen, warty ‘fingers’ if you are observant. If you want to discover them, look on stumps or buried deadwood of broadleaved trees, especially beech. The fungus only invades dead or dying wood – that’s why Dead Man’s Fingers are often seen poking up through moss and rotten leaves.

According to First-Nature, the fungus isn’t generally considered edible. Regan Daniels stumbled upon the macabre-looking clusters of Xylaria polymorpha in a park she often visits in North Carolina. They were emerging from a stump, surrounded by a cluster of other mushrooms of the same kind. Some were quick to label the images as fake, finding them simply too surreal.

However, the mushrooms are indeed very real, and there are numerous captivating pictures of them available online. “I found the mushroom in Western North Carolina in the United States at a park that I frequent,” Regan told Bored Panda and added, “The walk is nice [and] it’s next to the French Broad River so there’s a lot of good scenery.”

The examples that Reagan found looked very intact – even though she was walking on a pretty popular location.

However, it might not be surprising since few people may dare to pick it, possibly perceiving it as toxic or potentially harmful. And would you ever consider tasting a fungus resembling a dead man’s toes?
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, by DailyMore

Environment

UK’s largest bird of prey returns to England for first time in 240 years

Britain’s largest bird of prey has returned to the English skies for the first time in 240 years.

White-tailed eagles, which have a wing span up to 2.5 metres, were once a common sight across southern England until the 18th century when they were wiped out by illegal killing. They were last recorded in England in 1780 at Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight, before becoming extinct in the whole of the UK in 1918 when the final bird was shot on the Scottish Shetland Islands.

European populations of the sea eagle also suffered from heavy persecution, which led to significant declines and extinction in several countries, according to Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

But thanks to Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation this lost species is making a comeback. Last summer, six young white-tailed eagles were released on the Isle of Wight as part of a five-year project to restore the species to southern England. The birds were collected from the wild in Scotland, where the species was reintroduced in the 1970s under a similar scheme, before they were brought to the island.

They have been fitted with GPS trackers and the team behind the programme have been tracking four of the young birds as they make their first trips. The satellite data has given the team fascinating insights into the behaviour of the birds, who were largely sedentary over winter but have begun to explore further afield, including Norfolk, Kent and Somerset, now spring has arrived.

Two of the eagles, G393, a male, and G318, a female, flew as far the North York Moors. The pair stayed in the national park for days, but also took a trip out to the coast where they spent four hours exploring a 12-mile stretch between Whitby and Saltburn-by-Sea.

Another male bird, G274, completed a 325-mile tour of southeast England for three day, and appears to have bonded with G324, a female, on the Isle of Wight over the winter months. G324 has generally been the most sedentary of the four birds since release but was spotted soaring with paragliders over the west Wight along with G274.

White-tailed eagles do not breed until they are about four or five years old, however it is hoped G274 and G324 might form a breeding pair if they survive until then. Satellite data has given the team fascinating insights into the birds’ behaviour, showing they choose days with the best conditions to make their big moves, preferring a tailwind and clear skies.

The birds are known as “sit-and-wait" foragers, who prefer to wait and watch their prey rather than fly great distances for food, which saves valuable energy. Roy Dennis, founder of The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation said: “I have spent much of my life working on the reintroduction of these amazing birds and so watching them take to the skies of the Isle of Wight has been a truly special moment.

“Establishing a population of white-tailed eagles in the south of England will link and support emerging populations of these birds in the Netherlands, France and Ireland, with the aim of restoring the species to the southern half of Europe.”

Bruce Rothnie, from Forestry England, added: “We are immensely proud that the woodlands we manage on the Isle of Wight and surrounding South Coast are now home to these incredibly rare birds as they return to England’s coastline.”