Outdoor Elements
Trailside Aliens: Earthstars
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While walking the trails at Fernwood Botanical Garden, Evie discovered something that looks like it’s from another planet—a Round Earthstar! This unique fungus reveals itself in fascinating ways and thrives in forested areas. Learn more about this curious find and where you might spot one. 🌍🍄 #EarthstarFungus #FernwoodBotanical #FungiFinds #OutdoorElements
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Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana
Outdoor Elements
Trailside Aliens: Earthstars
Clip | 3m 14sVideo has Closed Captions
While walking the trails at Fernwood Botanical Garden, Evie discovered something that looks like it’s from another planet—a Round Earthstar! This unique fungus reveals itself in fascinating ways and thrives in forested areas. Learn more about this curious find and where you might spot one. 🌍🍄 #EarthstarFungus #FernwoodBotanical #FungiFinds #OutdoorElements
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipIt's kind of our rainy July day here at Fernwood Botanical Gardens in Niles, Michigan, and I was hiking with a group of friends, and we were delighted to see aliens on the trail.
Let's take a look.
So right beside the edge of the trail in this woods that's pretty damp up here.
Some Earthstars and Earthstars actually are a type of fungus, and they are really unique in their shape.
As you can see, they're a Latin genus.
Geastrum means geo earth astrum star.
So that's how this plant gets its name, actually.
Let me correct myself.
They're not a plant.
Fungi are in their own kingdom.
They're not an animal.
They're not a plant.
They have no chlorophyl.
Earthstars get their nutrients from decomposing matter.
And they also help recycle nutrients back into the forest floor.
The interesting thing about them is, as they start to come up out of the soil, they look like little puff balls.
And in fact, there are many similarities between puffball mushrooms and earthstars.
However, earth stars have two layers.
They have an outer layer that actually, as the Earthstar comes up out of the soil, that outer layer peels back and forms many rays, kind of like a star, and the number of rays can be variable.
Even within species, some of these have like 6 or 7, some of them have 8 or 9.
I believe this is rounded earth star because if you look closely at the center of the star, which is where the spores are held, there's a little circle or ring right around the paw where the spores will be released.
And that's a good clue for rounded earthstar.
They often literally come up overnight.
Split back that outer membrane, and in some cases, those rays actually curved down and help elevate that rounded portion in the center.
And that will eventually help spores disseminate a little more readily because they'll be up a little bit higher.
So a really interesting fungus that you can spot on really damp conditions in a wooded area around the Great Lakes region.
Remember, you can find your own outer elements when you visit area parks and natural areas.
We'll see you soon.
And I'm going to get out of the rain.
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Outdoor Elements is a local public television program presented by PBS Michiana