Is fungus a bogeyman? In the autumn alien growths appear in our lawns and gardens. Are they a force for good or ill?
The answer is both. There are some common toadstools that are positively lethal like the Death Cap. Others that will bend your mind such as Psilocybe, the magic mushroom, and yet more that are good to eat. Best not to pick them from the wild unless you are with an expert.
Fungi are really a force for good in the world and without them basically there would be no life on earth. More important than that, there would be no beer because the humble yeast is also a fungus. However, we wouldn’t recommend drinking alcohol after eating the common inkcap mushroom above because it contains a toxin which makes you violently ill – when consumed with alcohol.