The Guardian, on Climate, 13 November 2026
We do not republish articles from The Guardian. Our findings are below, each quoting the words it is about. Read the full article on the outlet's own site.
Read the original article on theguardian.com (opens in a new tab)Kate Blincoe's country diary describes ash trees in a Norfolk wood after two storms. She finds a fallen ash that was hollow and colonised by golden scalycap and honey fungus, and explains how competing fungi leave the dark lines called spalting. It is a nature piece about fungi and wood, and nothing in it misleads the reader about the storms or the climate.
“When the rhizomorphs reach a root, the fungus grows beneath the bark and rots it, slowly killing the tree.”
The diarist explains plainly and concretely how honey fungus kills a tree. This answers the headline's question about why some trees fell and others did not.
“sealing off its patch with darkly pigmented fungal threads, known as melanised hyphae”
She gives the reader the proper scientific term for what makes spalting. The description stays accessible and does not overreach.
Spot something we missed? Report this article