Quirks and Quarks

Trees have their own fungal internet

Trees talk to each other using a subterranean fungal network
A Douglas fir stands tall. (CBC)

There's nothing quite like walking through a forest on a springy, mossy trail. Gentle breezes swirl through the treetops, rustling leaves, almost giving you the impression that the trees are whispering to each other. It can be magical.

Well according to Dr. Suzanne Simard from the University of British Columbia, it's not magic, but the trees are actually talking to each other. And their communication is richer than you'd ever dreamed. But they're not talking through their leaves. They're talking through a subterranean communications network - a kind of organic underground tree internet that connects the forest, in a way that's actually more impressive and interesting than magic.

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