Can fungi heal the wetlands? 🐟

Hi there 🍄 

This week, we will remediate the wetlands with mushrooms, remember conservationist and paleoecologist Estella Leopold, and discover the best wine pairings for mushroom dishes.

Heavy metals? In my wetlands?!

It’s more likely than you think 😨 Steel production and chemical manufacturing results in toxic vanadium byproducts. After it accumulates in sediment, vanadium works its way up the food chain, starting with plants and fish, then other animals, and finally, humans.

• Toxicity ☣ Vanadium is potentially carcinogenic and has been shown to cause neurological damage and developmental problems in children.

• Natural water purification ♻ Researchers have experimented with “constructed wetlands” — artificial water systems that mimic the natural purification processes of natural wetlands to remove heavy metals.

• Not quite efficient enough 🐟 Constructed wetlands reduce vanadium levels … but not enough to meet safe water quality standards. 

• Enter fungi! 🍄 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relationships with plants by penetrating their root cells. These fungi bind with heavy metals in the soil, preventing contamination from reentering the ecosystem.

• Power couple 🤝 Mixing AMF with constructed wetlands can boost the efficiency of these water systems. In a first-of-its-kind trial, AMF-inoculated wetlands removed more vanadium than the control water system that didn’t receive AMF inoculation.

• Looking ahead 👨‍🔬 After promising initial results, further research will decide how big of a role fungi can play in sequestering heavy metals from global ecosystems.

👉 Read more here.

Remembering Estella Leopold

A true trailblazer: In February 2024, we bid farewell to Estella Bergere Leopold, a paleoecologist who revolutionized our understanding of ancient ecosystems … and a conservationist whose commitment to bold, courageous environmentalism continues to inspire ecological activists. She was 97.

• Family farm 👩‍🌾 Born in 1927, Estella was introduced to conservation at an early age by her father, renowned ecologist Aldo Leopard. When Estella was eight, her father bought an old farm alongside the Wisconsin River. Together, the family restored the soil and reintroduced native plants. 

• Botanical education 🌳 Estella’s passion for the natural sciences led her to earn a degree in botany from the University of Wisconsin, a Master’s in botany from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in botany from Yale. On a dare from her advisor, Leopold specialized in studying pollen. For her thesis, Estella used pollen and spore analysis from peat deposits to explore the ecological history of New England forests.

• Ecological forensics 🔬 After school, Estella spent two decades researching ancient ecosystems with the United States Geological Society. There, she charted the evolution of plant communities in response to geological changes, like mountain foundation, volcanic activity, and climate change over the last 65 million years.

• Activism for preservation 🦋 Leopold and her colleagues won one of the first environmental lawsuits in the nation. Their actions protected the Florissant Valley’s fossil beds, southwest of Denver, and led to the creation of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Estella also actively opposed oil shale projects in Colorado and prevented dam construction at the Grand Canyon.

• No retirement from research ✍ Estella retired in 2000 but continued to publish scientific papers, articles, and books. She and her siblings founded the Aldo Leopold Foundation, aiming to uphold their father’s dedication to “the land ethic” … the relationship between people and their environments.

Click here to read more about Estella Leopold’s life and legacy.

Mushrooms + wine = happy shroomers

Potent pairings 🍷 Every type of mushroom has its perfect wine match. But you don’t have to play matchmaker anymore. Here’s a quick and easy guide to pairing the best wine with your favorite mushroom dish.

• Rule of thumb 👍 A delicate or medium mushroom texture should go with a wine of a similar body and profile for peak flavor potential.

• Lion’s mane 🦁 As a common substitute for lobster or crab in vegan seafood dishes, Lion’s mane pairs well with Pinot Grigio and White Rioja.

• Portobello 💥 If there ever was a mushroom made for red wines, it’s the portobello! Whether you grill, sauté, or bake your portobellos, their intense meatiness requires a wine with equally intense character.

• Morels 🔥 Fresh morels have a smokiness that’s perfect for grilling — and they pair well with white wines, like Riesling or Champagne.

You can find our full list of wine-pairing recommendations right here!

Featured artist: Trenton Hall

We’re right in the thick of morel-hunting season … and some foragers are knee-deep in tasty morels! Check out these stunning photos from Trenton Hall.

Ready to go forage morels this season? Keep our morel guide handy so you can tell tasty friends from their toxic lookalikes!