The Mycorrhizal Network: social networking as an experience

Hi this is Sammie and I’m exploring the topic of subterranean structure of fungi (mycelium) and its role as the "Wood Wide Web" in communication and resource sharing.

The Mycorrhizal Network: Iykyk and if you don’t… you’re just like me about a year or two ago. When I think about networks I imagine the internet, the wireless network I’m “connecting” to or the network of professionals I could join on LinkedIn if I ever actually wanted to continue “networking” with more humans online. But the mycorrhizal network… this network is something far more interesting to me. Not only is it a communication network naturally operating in the forest — it creates something I can eat.

Boletus Edulis (King Bolete - they’re yummy!)

I learned about it after watching a documentary where German forester Peter Wohlleben explained how the mycorrhizal network enables trees to communicate across distance. If you’ve ever worked on your business online or in a remote work environment you’ve experienced the struggles of communicating efficiently across distances. Then I started wondering about people I know who are in distant locations from me, and our ability to communicate and share with each other physically, digitally, and spiritually. 

(And if you want to learn more about the mycorrhizal network, I encourage you to search for one of Peter’s discussions online.)

If mycelium truly is the "Wood Wide Web," how might understanding its communication network change our approach to personal communication and networks? 

In a world of unread texts, dms, emails, how are really communicating with each other when we aren’t physically face to face?

There are so many excuses to not see each other in person now, my personal favorite is – it’s raining. Excuses become norms and then you can’t remember the last time you went foraging. 

Then I remember that I like connecting with others face to face during foraging experiences. When we’re foraging we’re talking about how the mushrooms are connected to other plant species and learning about what that means in our environments. We’re learning how to communicate the facts about identification with others in all sorts of different languages!

Anyways, thanks for reading. We hope to see you on an upcoming forage event or sharing your foraging stories in our community!