PODCAST · science
Lichen The Vibe
by District Podcasts
Lichen the Vibe is the mycology podcast that makes fungi fun and fascinating. We dive into mushrooms, lichens, and mycelium—covering mushroom identification, safe foraging, home cultivation, fungal ecology, ethnomycology, and lichen symbioses.From psychedelic and medicinal mushrooms to gourmet edibles and decomposer heroes, get expert insights, captivating stories, and chill vibes for beginners and seasoned mycophiles. Your go-to mushroom podcast for science, culture, and wonder. Subscribe and lichen the vibe! 🍄#mycology #mushrooms #fungi #lichen #mushroomhunting
Episodes
-
Spore Sized: The Giant Spring Polypore That Smells Like Watermelon
Polyporus squamosus, known as Dryad’s Saddle or Pheasant’s Back and often placed in Cerioporus, is one of the most distinctive large polypores of spring. Its broad, scaly cap can produce a surprising watermelon or cucumber-like scent, while its biology spans both living and dead hardwood. Dive...
-
Dryad’s Saddle: The Watermelon-Scented Polypore With a Remarkable Double Life
One of spring’s most recognizable large polypores can smell surprisingly like watermelon or cucumber. Polyporus squamosus, commonly called Dryad’s Saddle or Pheasant’s Back and often placed in Cerioporus, can begin life as a parasite of living hardwoods before continuing as a powerful white-rot...
-
Spore Sized: Why This Tiny Polypore Has a Fringed Edge
Most people would overlook Polyporus ciliatus, but its delicately hairy cap margin and fine pores make it one of the more distinctive small polypores of temperate forests. Dive deeper on the blog: https://lichenthevibe.com/fringed-polypore-polyporus-ciliatus/ In this episode, two hosts explore…
more -
Meet the Fringed Polypore: A Small Mushroom With a Remarkable Edge
Polyporus ciliatus, the Fringed Polypore, is a small temperate wood-rotting fungus easily overlooked in the forest. Its minute hairs along the cap margin, combined with its fine, dense pores, help distinguish it from similar species such as the Winter Polypore. Dive deeper on the blog:...
-
Spore Sized: How This Winter Polypore Attacks Dead Wood
The Winter Polypore (Polyporus brumalis) is a cold-season wood decomposer with an unusually sophisticated oxidative enzyme system. Growing primarily on dead hardwoods such as birch, it produces persistent, leathery fruitbodies that can survive through winter. Dive deeper on the blog:...
-
Polyporus brumalis: The Winter Fungus Built for Breaking Down Wood
While many familiar polypores appear primarily during the warmer months, Polyporus brumalis, now often treated within Lentinus, is adapted to the cold season. Its persistent, leathery fruitbodies can remain on dead hardwood for long periods, with fresh growth particularly associated with late...
-
Spore Sized: A Ghostly White Mushroom Growing on Rotten Hardwood
The Ghost Shield (Pluteus pellitus) is an uncommon European wood-decaying mushroom with an unusually pale appearance. Its white to creamy cap, white stem and pinking free gills create a striking contrast with the dark hardwood on which it grows. Dive deeper on the blog:...
-
Meet the Ghost Shield: A Rare Mushroom Hidden in European Forests
Most deer mushrooms in the genus Pluteus are associated with brown or gray caps, but Pluteus pellitus, commonly known as the Ghost Shield, takes a strikingly different form. Its pale white to creamy fruitbodies can stand out dramatically against dark, decomposing hardwood, yet this uncommon...
-
Spore Sized: The Deer Shield Mushroom’s Secret Identity
The familiar deer mushroom growing on rotting logs is actually at the center of a cryptic species complex revealed through DNA studies, and true Pluteus cervinus is distinguished by its free pink-spored gills, radish-like odor and characteristic horned cystidia. Dive deeper on the blog:...
-
Free Pink Gills, Radish Smell, Horned Cystidia — Meet Pluteus cervinus
The familiar deer mushroom found growing on rotting hardwood may look like a straightforward species, but DNA research revealed something much more complicated: the traditional concept of Pluteus cervinus actually contains multiple closely related, cryptic species. True P. cervinus is best...
-
Spore Sized: The Phoenix Oyster’s Hidden Chemistry Explained
This pale oyster mushroom thrives in warmer conditions while producing lovastatin analogs, ergothioneine and bioactive polysaccharides — and its enzyme secretome changes with the substrate it encounters. Dive deeper on the blog: https://lichenthevibe.com/pleurotus-pulmonarius-phoenix-oyster/ This...
-
Pleurotus pulmonarius: The Oyster Mushroom Built for Warm Climates
The classic oyster mushroom prefers familiar temperate conditions, but its close relative Pleurotus pulmonarius is built for warmer environments — and its biology goes well beyond simply tolerating heat. Dive deeper on the blog: https://lichenthevibe.com/pleurotus-pulmonarius-phoenix-oyster/…
more -
Spore Sized: The Oyster Mushroom’s Hidden Life as a Predator
The everyday oyster mushroom has a second lifestyle that most people never see: it can chemically attack and immobilize microscopic nematodes. Pleurotus ostreatus combines wood decomposition with a sophisticated form of fungal predation. Dive deeper on the blog:...
-
The Oyster Mushroom That Hunts and Kills Microscopic Animals
The oyster mushroom is one of the most familiar fungi on Earth — but behind its reputation as a cultivated food is a surprisingly sophisticated predator. Pleurotus ostreatus can decompose hardwood, capture microscopic nematodes and produce a remarkable collection of biologically active compounds....
-
Spore Sized: Inside the Golden Oyster’s Most Unusual Molecules
What makes the Golden Oyster Mushroom chemically unusual? Pleurotus citrinopileatus combines its unmistakable golden-yellow appearance with high levels of ergothioneine, diverse polysaccharides and an increasingly interesting collection of specialized fungal metabolites. Dive deeper on the blog:...
-
Pleurotus citrinopileatus: The Chemistry of the Golden Oyster
The Golden Oyster Mushroom is famous for its brilliant yellow clusters, but its chemistry may be even more interesting than its appearance. Pleurotus citrinopileatus is an edible, widely cultivated oyster mushroom notable for its high ergothioneine content, diverse polysaccharides and an…
more -
Spore Sized: Inside the Chemistry of the Bleeding Fairy Helmet
What looks like a fragile little woodland mushroom is actually a remarkably interesting chemical system. Mycena haematopus, commonly known as the Bleeding Mycena or Bleeding Fairy Helmet, combines a distinctive red-purple exudate with an unusual collection of fungal natural products. This episode...
-
Mycena haematopus: The Bleeding Mushroom Explained
A tiny woodland mushroom can produce a dark red to purplish liquid when its stem is damaged — and the chemistry behind that “bleeding” is far more unusual than its delicate appearance suggests. This episode takes a focused look at Mycena haematopus, the Bleeding Mycena, examining only this…
more -
Spore Sized: Why Does This Polypore Look Like a Trumpet?
Why does a polypore sometimes look nothing like the classic bracket fungus? In this focused episode, we explore Picipes tubaeformis, the Trumpet Polypore, a relatively uncommon wood-rotting fungus recognized by its slender funnel-shaped fruitbody, dark stem, and exceptionally small pores. Blog...
-
Rare, Slender, and Almost Delicate — The Trumpet Polypore
Picipes tubaeformis, commonly called the Trumpet Polypore, breaks one of the most familiar images of a polypore: instead of forming a thick shelf or bracket, this uncommon fungus produces a slender, trumpet- or funnel-shaped fruitbody with a dark stem and remarkably fine pores that run down the...
-
Spore Sized: Why Does Phyllotopsis nidulans Smell So Bad?
Phyllotopsis nidulans is a striking wood-decaying mushroom that can be surprisingly unpleasant to smell. Its bright orange-to-yellow fruiting bodies may look inviting, but the odor has earned this species a reputation for being one of the less pleasant-smelling fungi encountered in forests. In…
more -
Orange, Fuzzy, and Foul-Smelling: Meet Phyllotopsis nidulans
One of the Northern Hemisphere’s most recognizable wood-inhabiting mushrooms looks vaguely like an oyster mushroom—but its powerful skunk-cabbage or rotten-egg odor quickly gives it away. Phyllotopsis nidulans also produces unusual carotenoid pigments and a rare furan-containing amino acid found…
more -
Spore Sized: Lichens Are Chemical Factories Hiding in Plain Sight
Lichens can look like little patches of moss, stains or crust growing quietly on rocks and trees. But they are something far stranger. They are not plants and not single organisms in the conventional sense, but complex partnerships involving fungi and photosynthetic partners such as algae or...
-
Lichens Aren’t Plants: The Strange Partnership Behind Them
Lichens may look like simple patches of growth on rocks and trees, but they are among Earth’s most unusual organisms. They are not plants and not single organisms, but complex partnerships involving fungi and photosynthetic partners such as algae or cyanobacteria — and some can survive extreme...
-
Spore Sized: The Tiny Lectin Inside a Shaggy Scaly Mushroom
Pholiota squarrosa is a familiar woodland mushroom, but its chemistry has made it surprisingly important to modern fungal research. This episode explores the species' distinctive dry, heavily scaled appearance, its white-rot lifestyle, and its unusual relationship with weakened trees. The hosts...
-
Pholiota squarrosa: The Mushroom Scientists Keep Finding New Uses For
A familiar cluster of dry, shaggy yellowish mushrooms growing around the base of a tree might not look extraordinary. Yet Pholiota squarrosa produces unusual phenylpropanoid compounds and an exceptionally small lectin that has become valuable in glycobiology and biomedical research. This…
more -
Spore Sized: The Sticky Yellow Pholiota With a Hidden Chemical History
Pholiota limonella may look like a straightforward yellow woodland mushroom, but identifying it accurately can require much closer examination. Its sticky, scale-covered cap places it among a group of visually similar Pholiota species where microscopic details become far more important than color...
-
Why Pholiota limonella Is More Complicated Than It Looks
Pholiota limonella is an easily overlooked member of the scalycap fungi, producing lemon-yellow to yellowish caps that can become intensely slimy and are often covered with darker scales. Although it resembles several other members of the Pholiota group, its microscopic characteristics provide…
more -
Spore Sized: Small Spores, Strange Cystidia and a Very Sticky Mushroom
Pholiota lenta is an understated member of the scalycap genus, but its appearance tells an unusual ecological story. Rather than displaying the bright colors and obvious clusters associated with some better-known Pholiota, this species can appear pale, subdued and almost completely coated in…
more -
Pholiota lenta: The Scalycap Hidden Beneath the Forest Floor
At first glance, Pholiota lenta may not look like the dramatic scalycaps many mushroom hunters associate with the genus. Its pale creamy-to-pinkish cap can become extraordinarily glutinous, collecting leaves, needles and other forest debris across its surface. In this short deep-dive episode, two...
-
Spore Sized: Inside the Strange Biology of the Golden Scalycap
At first glance, Pholiota aurivella looks like a classic autumn woodland mushroom: golden caps, darker scales and dense clusters emerging from trunks, logs and stumps. But beneath that familiar appearance is a fungus with an unusual combination of ecological importance, chemical compounds and...
-
Pholiota aurivella: Inside the Biology of the Golden Scalycap
One of the most eye-catching late-summer and autumn mushrooms of northern forests coats itself in a golden, sticky glaze and dark scales, grows in dense clusters on living and dead wood, and recent laboratory research has found an extract dominated by linoleic acid with measurable antimicrobial…
more -
Spore Sized: The Hidden Science Behind the Alder Scalycap
Bright yellow mushrooms are common in autumn woodlands, but few have a story quite like Pholiota alnicola. Growing on damp logs, fallen branches, and dying alder trees, this understated species has become increasingly interesting to mycologists because of its specialized habitat, difficult...
-
The Secret Life of the Alder Scalycap: More Than Just Another Yellow Mushroom
At first glance, Pholiota alnicola looks like just another bright yellow mushroom growing from damp wood, but a closer look reveals a fungus with an unexpectedly specialized lifestyle. Closely associated with alder trees and wet woodland habitats, this species is helping researchers better...
-
Spore Sized: This Mushroom Doesn't Have Gills... It Has Teeth
Most hikers walk right past Phellodon tomentosus without realizing they're looking at one of the most informative fungi in the forest. Its soft tooth-like spines, fuzzy brown cap, and tendency to grow in fused mats make it unlike typical mushrooms, while its underground partnerships with pine and...
-
Phellodon tomentosus: The Forgotten Mushroom That Protects Ancient Forests
At first glance, Phellodon tomentosus looks like an unremarkable brown fungus blending into the mossy floor of a conifer forest. But beneath its woolly, concentrically zoned cap lies one of the most fascinating ecological specialists in temperate woodlands. Instead of gills, it produces soft…
more -
Spore Sized: This Red Fungus Looks Alien — The Hidden Biology of the Devil’s Stinkhorn
Phallus rubicundus, commonly known as the Devil’s Stinkhorn, is one of the most visually unforgettable fungi found in warm climates. Emerging suddenly from a buried fungal egg, this bright red stinkhorn can transform an ordinary garden, lawn, or mulch bed into a brief display of rapid growth,...
-
The Devil’s Stinkhorn Mystery: A Fungus Built for Speed and Deception
Some fungi spend years hidden underground before revealing themselves, but Phallus rubicundus takes a completely different approach. Known as the Devil’s Stinkhorn, this striking reddish fungus can appear almost overnight in gardens, lawns, and woodchip beds, releasing a powerful odor designed to...
-
Spore Sized: Phallus indusiatus: The Most Beautiful and Bizarre Fungus on Earth?
Hidden beneath tropical forest floors, Phallus indusiatus begins its life as an ordinary-looking fungal egg before transforming into one of the most visually remarkable mushrooms on Earth. Within a short period, it develops a tall stalk, a delicate white net-like veil, and a chemical strategy...
-
The Bridal Veil Stinkhorn: The Mushroom That Turns Bees Into Spore Carriers
A fungus unlike almost anything else in the forest begins life as a small underground egg before transforming into a delicate white structure covered by a flowing lace-like veil. Phallus indusiatus, known as the Basket Stinkhorn, Bridal Veil Stinkhorn, or Veiled Lady, combines extraordinary...
-
Spore Sized: The Weirdest Woodland Fungus? Biology of Phallus impudicus
A strange mushroom hidden beneath the forest floor spends most of its life unnoticed, waiting for the perfect moment to transform. Then, within hours, Phallus impudicus erupts from an underground egg into one of the most recognizable fungi in the temperate world — using powerful chemical signals…
more -
The Common Stinkhorn: The Mushroom That Grows Overnight and Hunts Flies
One of the most unusual fungi found in temperate forests begins life hidden underground as a small, unassuming egg before transforming within hours into a towering structure with one extraordinary purpose — attracting insects through the smell of decay and using them to spread its spores. This...
-
Spore Sized: Incredible Secret Life of the Palomino Cup
Most people would walk right past this unassuming brown cup fungus without giving it a second thought. For decades, scientists believed they already understood exactly what Peziza repanda was. Then DNA sequencing changed the story. Modern genetic research has revealed that many specimens once...
-
Common, Confusing, Fascinating: Peziza repanda
At first glance, Peziza repanda seems like one of the easiest fungi to identify—a broad brown cup growing quietly on old wood. Yet modern DNA research tells a completely different story. Many fungi once labeled Peziza repanda are now understood to belong to the highly variable Peziza varia…
more -
Spore Sized: The Hidden World Inside a Cup Fungus
Every spring, thousands of mushroom hunters walk right past one of the forest's most fascinating fungi. Peziza phyllogena, commonly called the Common Brown Cup or Pig-ear Cup, may look ordinary, but under the microscope it reveals beautifully sculptured spores, surprising chemistry, and a...
-
Why This Common Brown Cup Fungus Is Quietly One of Mycology's Greatest Hidden Gems
Every spring, while thousands of mushroom hunters search the forest floor for morels, they unknowingly walk past one of the most quietly remarkable fungi of the season. It appears as a simple brown cup resting among damp leaves and decaying wood, blending almost perfectly into the forest floor.…
more -
Spore Sized: The Trailside Mushroom That Keeps Surprising Scientists
One of the most common cup fungi growing beside woodland trails has quietly received a new scientific identity. Long known as Peziza badia, many mycologists now classify it as Legaliana badia following modern taxonomic research. In this short episode, we explore why scientists reclassified this...
-
The Bay Cup Mushroom's Hidden World of Microscopic Beauty
For decades, hikers, mushroom enthusiasts, and field guides referred to this familiar woodland fungus as Peziza badia, the Bay Cup mushroom. But recent taxonomic research quietly changed that. Today, many mycologists recognize it as Legaliana badia—a scientific update that passed almost unnoticed...
-
Spore Sized: Turning Invasive Mushrooms Into Living Water Filters
Some organisms are labeled “invasive” because they spread too fast, overwhelm ecosystems, and disrupt natural balance. But what if the same biological traits that make them a problem in forests are exactly what makes them powerful enough to fix one of humanity’s biggest problems? This episode...
-
When Invasive Mushrooms Become Water Filters: The Hidden Science of Mycoremediation
Some of the most aggressive organisms spreading through forests right now are usually labeled as ecological threats. But what if that same unstoppable growth is exactly what we need to clean up some of the most toxic waterways on Earth? This episode explores the emerging science of...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Lichen the Vibe is the mycology podcast that makes fungi fun and fascinating. We dive into mushrooms, lichens, and mycelium—covering mushroom identification, safe foraging, home cultivation, fungal ecology, ethnomycology, and lichen symbioses.From psychedelic and medicinal mushrooms to gourmet edibles and decomposer heroes, get expert insights, captivating stories, and chill vibes for beginners and seasoned mycophiles. Your go-to mushroom podcast for science, culture, and wonder. Subscribe and lichen the vibe! 🍄#mycology #mushrooms #fungi #lichen #mushroomhunting
HOSTED BY
District Podcasts
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Lichen The Vibe have?
Lichen The Vibe currently has 449 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Lichen The Vibe about?
Lichen the Vibe is the mycology podcast that makes fungi fun and fascinating. We dive into mushrooms, lichens, and mycelium—covering mushroom identification, safe foraging, home cultivation, fungal ecology, ethnomycology, and lichen symbioses.From psychedelic and medicinal mushrooms to gourmet...
How often does Lichen The Vibe release new episodes?
Lichen The Vibe publishes regularly with 449 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Lichen The Vibe?
You can listen to Lichen The Vibe on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Lichen The Vibe?
Lichen The Vibe is created and hosted by District Podcasts.
URL copied to clipboard!