The aptly-named shaggy scalycap mushroom in the Manistee National Forest during the autumn of 2015.
Fungi, like this mushroom of the genus Pluteus, play a critical role in each and every forest ecosystem on Earth. The mycelium or "roots" of the fungi intertwine with the roots of trees and other plants and form a mutualistic relationship. The fungi supplies the plant with minerals and other critical nutrients and the plant supplies the fungi with sugars produced via photosynthesis.
Common puffballs (Lycoperdon perlatum) growing on a stump in the Manistee National Forest during the fall of 2015.
