lpascente
IMG_9127
Lina Pascente- Environmental Photo #2 This picture was taken in the Beau Bien Park next to my house. There’s a little pond and behind that is a little hidden path lined with trees. I have always seen it when I sit by the pond and look at the water watching the sunsets reflection in it. This time I decided to venture down the path. One thing I noticed right away was there were many trees that had fallen down. A lot of the other trees still standing looked very old and dead. As I was walking I saw this one log laying there and I saw these mushrooms on them. I have always been fascinated with mushrooms that grow on trees. I love the way they look and the different colors they can be. However, I only ever associated mushrooms with death and bad. What I did not realize was they can also be good for the environment. First off, mushrooms have enzymes that help to decompose wood. Additionally, mushrooms can be used for bioremediation. They can eat up petroleum products, denature them and then use the broken-down hydrocarbons and convert them into cellular carbohydrates. They can also break down oil, PCBs and nerve gas toxins. Something really cool to know about mushrooms is that they are doing studies now to use them in medicine. Mushrooms show both antiviral and antibacterial properties, which is really cool because some diseases need both antiviral and antibacterial medicines to cure them. Additionally, they have immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory properties so they can help your immune system become stronger and reduce the chances of viruses overtaking the body. It is also important to note that mushrooms have nutritional value as well. They are good for our diets, as long as they are not the poisonous ones, and they must be cooked fully and properly. Mushrooms can be a wonderful source of Vitamin D. When they are exposed to UV light, like from the sun, that’s when the get Vitamin D and that’s how you can consume it. This is also true if you put dried up mushrooms in the sun. You can still retain a good about of Vitamin D from these mushrooms, even if they weren’t just picked from the ground getting high amounts of sunlight. Not to mention that mushrooms are mostly made up of water, about 90% or so. Lastly, mushrooms have good environmental benefits. Mushrooms help to protect our ecosystem and connect food chains together. They are very important because they are one of the primary pillars on the food web. This is because they help to recycle nutrients as well as contribute to the citric acid cycle so our fields and forests are healthy! It is really surprising to think that such a small, sometimes strange, fungi can contribute so many benefits to us. Not everything in nature has to be perceived in a bad way. Just because something may not look quite appealing or healthy does not mean that it is not. So don’t be afraid to eat your mushrooms!
IMG_9127
Lina Pascente- Environmental Photo #2 This picture was taken in the Beau Bien Park next to my house. There’s a little pond and behind that is a little hidden path lined with trees. I have always seen it when I sit by the pond and look at the water watching the sunsets reflection in it. This time I decided to venture down the path. One thing I noticed right away was there were many trees that had fallen down. A lot of the other trees still standing looked very old and dead. As I was walking I saw this one log laying there and I saw these mushrooms on them. I have always been fascinated with mushrooms that grow on trees. I love the way they look and the different colors they can be. However, I only ever associated mushrooms with death and bad. What I did not realize was they can also be good for the environment. First off, mushrooms have enzymes that help to decompose wood. Additionally, mushrooms can be used for bioremediation. They can eat up petroleum products, denature them and then use the broken-down hydrocarbons and convert them into cellular carbohydrates. They can also break down oil, PCBs and nerve gas toxins. Something really cool to know about mushrooms is that they are doing studies now to use them in medicine. Mushrooms show both antiviral and antibacterial properties, which is really cool because some diseases need both antiviral and antibacterial medicines to cure them. Additionally, they have immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory properties so they can help your immune system become stronger and reduce the chances of viruses overtaking the body. It is also important to note that mushrooms have nutritional value as well. They are good for our diets, as long as they are not the poisonous ones, and they must be cooked fully and properly. Mushrooms can be a wonderful source of Vitamin D. When they are exposed to UV light, like from the sun, that’s when the get Vitamin D and that’s how you can consume it. This is also true if you put dried up mushrooms in the sun. You can still retain a good about of Vitamin D from these mushrooms, even if they weren’t just picked from the ground getting high amounts of sunlight. Not to mention that mushrooms are mostly made up of water, about 90% or so. Lastly, mushrooms have good environmental benefits. Mushrooms help to protect our ecosystem and connect food chains together. They are very important because they are one of the primary pillars on the food web. This is because they help to recycle nutrients as well as contribute to the citric acid cycle so our fields and forests are healthy! It is really surprising to think that such a small, sometimes strange, fungi can contribute so many benefits to us. Not everything in nature has to be perceived in a bad way. Just because something may not look quite appealing or healthy does not mean that it is not. So don’t be afraid to eat your mushrooms!