September 19, 2010 - Tree Tappers
Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

April showers bring May flowers, but September rains bring mushrooms. Shortly after a soaking autumn rain mushrooms pop up in many places. Rain is a catalyst for this bumper crop of mushrooms but trees help too. The above ground mushroom is just the temporary reproductive structure of a fungus. The more permanent part of the plant is hidden underground. This subterranean portion of the fungus is a complex network of fine, root-like filaments. Fungi get their energy from breaking down organic matter or more directly from trees. Falling temperatures and shorter days trigger trees to divert energy in the form of sugar into storage for the winter. A fungus taps into this energy to get the boost it needs to form mushrooms. A good growing season for trees usually results in a good fall for mushrooms.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.