There’s something magical about a crisp autumn afternoon—the air smells woodsy, the trees turn fiery shades of gold, and the ground transforms into a crunchy carpet of fallen leaves. But what happens after the Instagram-worthy season fades and those vibrant leaves start to rot? Most people just rake them up or watch them disappear under the next snowfall, but beneath the surface, an invisible world of workers gets busy.
These unsung heroes aren’t squirrels or worms—they’re fungi, nature’s quiet recyclers. Without fungi, our planet would be buried in layers of leaf litter thicker than your favorite fall sweater.
