Fungi...Have you wondered what these little unassuming creatures really are? Often times, we have treated them with much fascination and unfortunately with much fear too. So to correct these misconceptions about our little ‘friends’, MNS Miri organised a trip to Lambir National Park on the 4th of August 2012 to learn more about fungi. The day began early, 8.00am in the morning to be exact, and all of us eagerly waiting to be enlightened on the World of the Fungi, entered the wilderness. We had on our team Amos Lim, a bubbling young expert on Fungi and Chan Ju Ping, an illustrious and articulate person when it came to the topic of his research, Dipterocarp trees. |
| The rings on Macaranga stem that is used by ants. |
We embarked on our trek through the commonly used Latak Waterfall trail. Right away we were in for a surprise. Ju Ping almost immediately pointed left down the hanging bridge to a relatively unassuming and common tree. Little did we know it was the Macaranga, a tree species which harboured and provided much needed shelter to ants. Its green, slender stems were hollow, acting as a natural artery through which the ants travelled. It not only provided them shelter and nesting space, but also occasionally supplied the ants with much cherished nectar. Ahh, such peaceful coexistence!
The excitement was not short lived. Soon enough, as the forest trail began, we stumbled upon the much anticipated fungi. Amos was quick to take the lead and started a thorough explanation on fungi. He began with the basics of fungi, explaining what the fruiting body, mycelium and the hyphae were. It was surprising to find out that fungi are in fact closer to the animal kingdom than to plants. Joyce and Peter, who were all too eager to improve and retain their newly learned “Fungal” knowledge, were quick to note down everything that Amos had to say. The rest of us too were not short of curiosity. We were quick to ask questions and soon enough we too had the “Fungal fundamentals” in our heads. 
As we continued on, we stumbled upon more fungi growing literally on the sides of the trail. They came in all shapes and sizes, with colours as many as you could possibly think of. Poor fellas, they are so unique and beautiful, but very few of us humans even bother looking at them, yet alone appreciate them. When Amos found fungal specimens which were new to him, he was quick to touch and smell them, much to our horror. To us “Non Fungal People”, this was almost unthinkable, as we had a misconception that most forest fungi were poisonous, and should not be smelt, yet alone touched. Amos then went on to tell us that, fungi, though it may be deadly, can be touched and even tasted, provided it’s not ingested. It was not long before we too were brave enough to start touching mushrooms. It felt like a great achievement in itself!
The trek continued winding up a gentle slope and soon we were at the stunning Latak Waterfall. It looked like a trickle now, but it was still equally gorgeous. We took a few photos and continued trekking up a steep slope to the top of a ridge. It was quite tiring but even here we were in for a surprise. Green and Yellow mushrooms!! Awesome!! Even our fungi expert, Amos was amazed to stumble upon such beautiful fungi. Unfortunately, time did not permit us to go on further and we made our way back to Lambir HQ, reaching before1.00pm. To sum it up, this trip was not just fun and thrilling but also an educational one. At least now we understand and appreciate these small but exciting organisms.
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| Graduating class of Fungi 101 (Top row, from right : Amer, Sara, Franco, Daniel, Joyce, Yew Wah) (Bottom row, from right : Ju Ping, Rexy, Amos, Han YC and photographer Peter Pillai) |
Images by : Joyce Sivalingam
