SPORES

The ability of fungi to disperse spores is fascinating. As they tend to grow at ground level without much contact with the air, they have learned how to generate their own breeze to lift themselves up a few centimetres for the wind to carry them away. Every second, they release about thirty thousand particles, which means fifty million tonnes per year, making them the largest source of living particles in the atmosphere. Their size ranges from 0.003 mm to specks large enough to be visible to the human eye, whether in the form of threads, spirals, shells, stars or – as in this case – magnificent papiroga earrings.