Fruits of the forest

The forest has an abundance of natural fruits and berries. However it is illegal to pick them. Over recent years foraging and mushroom picking has become a big issue which has a detrimental affect on the natural environment of the forest.

Not limited to the obvious fly agaric pictured above there are some more lethal fungi in the forest. The death cap mushroom looks far less dramatic than the fly agaric but as the name suggests is lethal.

Black berries, Elder berries, sloe’s and so on may well be there for the picking, apart from the breech of bye laws there is a good reason for leaving them be, its not our food its for the animals that live and thrive in the forest. Birds eat berries, squirrels eat nuts and so on. What doesn’t get eaten becomes food for the insects and the mycorrhizal fungi network It all becomes part of the forests natural cycle.

Life comes out of death in the natural world and everything is utilised with nothing going to waste. It may be tempting to pick the black berries when they are ready, it may look like there is an abundance but if you and a few thousand others succumb to the temptation then it stands to reason the natural food isn’t there for the rightful diners!

Would you want to take dinner from this little one?