There are some weird forms of life around us. For me, Kanye West immediately comes to mind in this regard. And then yesterday, in the process of repairing my pontoon boat trailer, I discovered a strange fugus growing on the carpeting covering one of the rails that guides and holds in place the pontoons when my boat is loaded on the trailer.
How specialized and odd is a fungus that grows on
the carpeting of a boat trailer? Actually,
I think the fungus was responsible for rotting and destroying the wooden rail
enclosed within the carpeting—the reason repairs were required.
Fungi, which includes yeasts, rusts, smuts, mildews, molds, and mushrooms are a
peculiar form of life. They present a
departure from conventional forms of life at the starting gate. Unlike plants, they lack chlorophyll,
rendering them incapable to photosynthesize and necessitating their reliance on
external food sources. Instead of outright consuming food as animals do, fungi
employ a distinct mode of nutrient absorption. Through their thread-like
structures known as hyphae, fungi secrete enzymes that break down organic
matter in their surroundings, converting it into nutrients that can be absorbed.
Frankly, the way fungi eat is creepy. Under certain unfortunate conditions, mold,
another type of fungus, can consume and kill a human in a matter of only a
couple days.
I am sharing a couple photographs of the fungus I
found on my boat trailer. Watch out for
this stuff. I don’t trust it.
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—Mitchell Hegman
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