The Trouble With Tribbles

You could be forgiven for thinking these furry little fungi attached to this tree are actually living animals. They have a vague resemblance to Tribbles from the original Star Trek series and tend to multiply just as quickly! Don’t worry though, they aren’t actually alien creatures from another planet! This is a species of mushroom known as “Lion’s Mane” but its scientific name is hericium erinaceus. What looks like fur on these mushrooms is actually spiny teeth, which are used to distribute seeds to allow these mushrooms to multiply. You’ll often find Lion’s Mane growing near hardwoods in North America.