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In Gratitude: A 2022 Year End Message from Marie Veronique
At the end of every year, we at Marie Veronique seek to shine the spotlight on a hardworking, overlooked part of nature to be grateful for – microbes, for example. Invisible to the eye, but we cannot live without them. See if you can guess what we chose to be worthy of our thanks this year. Hints:
- In the forest we are always walking on one without noticing it.
- Some of its fruiting bodies are edible and even delicious.
- Many people have never heard of it, but without it to make soil we could not live.
Did you get it?? Yes!!! It is mycelium, the root-like structure of fungus, and a tremendous source of life on this planet! Here are a few facts about mycelium you can share over a holiday dinner, possibly while you are enjoying some of its fruiting bodies, AKA mushrooms.
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Mycelium is a network of nearly microscopic threads that continuously recycles air, soil, and water.
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When you see mushrooms, you are looking at the tip of the iceberg; there’s a vast, hidden network of mycelium hidden in the ground beneath them. Only about 10% of fungi pro- duce mushrooms.
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Networks of fungal mycelium work tirelessly to recycle nutrients through rot, and without them, the forests would choke. 70% of carbon is stored by fungi, which can stay under- ground for thousands of years.
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Mycromediation via mycelium and mushrooms may be our best hope for saving the planet.
So besides giving thanks to the observable world, let’s not forget our friends underneath our feet — we owe our lives to inhabitants of both the micro and mycro worlds.
By now you may be wondering, what is the connection between mycelium, microbiota, and Marie Veronique? Answer: In the absence of the first two life would be impossible, whereas in the absence of the third it would merely be unpleasant. (Give yourself a point if you said all three start with the letter M).
In all seriousness, we are ever more aware of how interconnected everything is — skin health may be our raison d’etre, but we are just one aspect in the grand scheme of things.
— Marie Veronique Nadeau