The otherworldly weirdness and beauty of fungi and slime moulds are captured in these photographs, taken by Jay Lichter for his new book , a guide to the “micro marvels” of New Zealand.

The ruby bonnet fungus (Cruentomycena viscidocruenta), pictured above, gets its scientific name from the Latin words for “bloody” and “slimy” because of the sticky substance coating its stalk, which can form large droplets. “The reflections you get in these globules from a diffused flash make for an awesome shot every time, so I never get sick of shooting them,” writes Lichter.

Below is the Cribraria slime mould, which is a protist, like certain algae and amoebas.

Below is the carnival candy slime mould (Arcyria denudata), named for the pink tufts it forms during its fruiting phase. It is only 4 to 6 millimetres tall.

Lichter discovered the relatively uncommon fungus Mycena lividorubra (below) under a log in New Zealand’s Waitākere Ranges.

And finally, below is another Mycena mushroom – though this one has been targeted by mould, “almost like a bridal veil”, Lichter writes. “But that’s not all! The mould in this photo is producing droplets of guttation (excess moisture) along its threads, making for an absolutely wild shot,” he adds.

Lichter hopes to inspire readers to discover the secret life of fungi themselves. Moss and rotten wood in the forest are your best bet, but Lichter has also found stunning specimens in car parks and vacant lots. “Even the most unassuming locations are exploding with fungal life,” he writes.

Jay Lichter
Allen & Unwin Aotearoa NZ

From ayahuasca and cannabis to psilocybin mushrooms and tobacco, people have been using mind-altering plants and fungi in spiritual rituals and ceremonies for thousands of years to filter and change their view of the world.

Now the lens has been flipped, with a new book revealing these psychoactive and medicinal plants and fungi in a new light, thanks to cutting-edge microscopy techniques.

Confocal microscopy uses laser scanning at multiple depths to create detailed, sharply-focused images of a specimen. The technique is normally used for academic research.

Jill Pflugheber at the University of Kentucky trained her confocal microscopes on 50 sacred plant and fungal species from across the Americas. Her work is featured in , a book she has written with independent historian Steven F. White.

The result is a glittering journey into the inner life of some of the world’s most revered plant species, says White. He says they were looking for a way to create “botanical art” that upends people’s perceptions of sacred plants. “We’re hoping the people who look at Microcosms can learn to respect these plants in new ways.”

Working from the main picture down, the images show some of the results of their work: Brugmansia suaveolens; Justicia pectoralis; Virola theiodora; Neltuma pallida; cannabis; and Theobroma cacao.