1. Fungi are NOT plants or animals! Even though mushrooms grow out of the dirt like plants, fungi belong to their very own special kingdom of life. They don't have leaves, roots, or seeds, and they can't make their own food from sunlight!

2. A mushroom is just the "fruit" of a hidden underground organism. The mushroom cap you see above ground is like the apple on an apple tree. Underground, there is a giant webs-like network of tiny threads called mycelium that acts like the main body of the fungus!

3. The largest living organism on Earth is a humongous fungus! In Oregon, there is a single honey mushroom fungus growing underground that covers nearly 2,400 acres (about 1,600 football fields) and is over 2,000 years old!

4. Some mushrooms glow in the dark! Over 80 different species of mushrooms can produce their own light through a cool chemical process called bioluminescence. They glow with a spooky green light at night to attract bugs that spread their spores!

5. Fungi are Nature’s recycling team. Without fungi, forests would be buried under dead leaves and fallen trees! Fungi release special chemicals to break down old plants and wood, turning them into nutrient-rich soil for new plants to grow.

6. Yeast is a tiny single-celled fungus that makes bread rise. The yeast used to bake fluffy bread, pizza dough, and rolls is actually a microscopic living fungus! As yeast eats sugar in dough, it burps out tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide gas that make dough puff up.

7. Fungi saved millions of lives through medicine. In 1928, a scientist accidentally discovered that a green mold called Penicillium stopped bacteria from growing. This led to penicillin, one of the most important lifesaving antibiotic medicines in history!