I’m on my fourth watch of this masterpiece. The passion and dedication to something most people couldn’t care less about, is honestly breathtaking. If only the rest of the world had just a fraction of the appreciation for nature demonstrated here, the world would be a markedly better place.

"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." - Terry Pratchett

People are so eager to see an alien world that they dont even see the alien world right under their feet

"The forest were starting to make sense, it wasn't just a bunch of trees" This made me chuckle. What an amazing documentary!

When I was around 5th grade, I would spend a lot of my free time downloading images and gifs of mushrooms onto my school computer because I thought they were so cool. I recognized a lot of them in this video; I had no idea how much one person's work impacted my obsession with mushrooms! I want to become a mycologist someday and also help local communities. What you do sounds so amazing.

Once in a while, the youtube algorithm impresses me with something of true quality.

Whoever chose the soundtrack has obviously also had their mind changed by fungi

The purple mushroom blew me away…exquisite. I’ve always loved the sculptural fungi that look like abstract art. Nature is truly the greatest artist.

How many people want to see a book of all his fungi photos? Me!

the KZfaq algorithm decided I should spend a half an hour of my time learning about a guy who photographs mushrooms. I am not disappointed.

"Life on this planet is more interconnected than I ever could have imagined" - I'm awestruck by your pictures! Thank you Stephen!

This man is not only a photographer but also a wonderful teacher! I wanted to watch only a few minutes. But it was so fascinating that I didn't want the documentary to end. I would like to learn more !

To listen to someone who has found their passion is bliss

I couldn’t divert my mind at the fact that he is wearing a “fungi fetish” shirt

Psychedelics are just an amazing discovery. It's quite fascinating how effective they are for depression and stress disorders.. Saved my life.

I am literally gobsmacked, lost for words. I’m Australian to and have never seen, or thought to look for anything like these beautiful works of art. You have given me a whole new view of the world too. Thank you, another incredibly important reason we need to protect our forests and woodlands. What secrets are these gorgeous things keeping for us.

props to him for doing this entire talk while being swarmed by mosquitoes.

This man loves mushrooms so much that he stands unaffected in a cloud of bugs. Impressive.

I love the calm, slow speaking. The longer shots and just stills of the fungi. That's enough. Rare nowadays.

26:30 "the same but different" they shared a laugh as fellow humans, and carried on. This moment was surprisingly deep and poignant to me. We are all the same but different! We are all brothers and sisters in humanity ♥️

I appreciate his clear paced speech and that there is no loud competing music like discovery channel productions.

Some people try to go viral on social media. This guy went fungal.

I love when people can talk about something with so much passion that it makes me passionate too. What a man!

Those photos of fungi are some of the most beautiful natural images I've ever seen. Thank you, for sharing your passion with us here on YT, sir. May God bless you & your countrymen thru the hardships you are all now experiencing. Love from Texas, USA!!!

I love how not over-stimulating this is, on top of being wonderfully beautiful, scientifically fascinating, and narrated by a talented and humble but passionate chiller with an Australian accent. What’s not to love here?

When he said that he'd use a glowing mushroom covered stick to see the trails at night..... I felt that

Amazing. I appreciate this video, and now fungi much more than I would have ever thought! 🍄I'm sure when this gentleman's wife passed away from cancer, he probably didn't think that life would go on, or that he'd ever be happy again. I'm glad he turned his hobby into real research that helps people. Perhaps the cure to cancer, or other horrible diseases can be found in fungi- or elsewhere in the rainforests. We must take care of our planet. 🌎🙏 Love to you all ❤

Barely started this documentary and I am absolutely mesmerized. I’ve never seen fungi this spectacular in Canada (although I don’t go hunting them!). WOW.

"But when you face death, it makes you rethink your life" - Stephen Axford

Man was in constant attack of mosquitos and flies and didnt squint for a single moment

I've heard so many wonderful things about magic mushrooms but I can't easily get some, Is there any realiable source I can purchase from??

The amount of time to complete this must be huge. Thank you all for this. Many of those I recognize but in virginia. They have slight alterations but so similar I feel it is the same. It's like how California magnolias are almost like the Texas ones. Or mimosa hostilis to mimosa teneflura. Hostilis I can find in nature in Texas. In Virginia it's mainly teneflura

"I take photographs of fungi" This is a guy thats got life figured out

The Amount Of Mosquitoes Around Him Is Disturbing, But That Makes Him More Of A Boss

I am watching this again and making questions and a work book for my girls, talk about an awesome science exploration! Thank you for sharing Mr. Axford!

The fungi that glows in the dark really surprised me and watching Timelapse videos of fruiting fungi is amazing. Such a great video, thank you very much.

It seems to me that this gentle chap has undergone tragedy and trouble in the past and, somehow he’s made a new life for himself, revealing an otherwise hidden world. Thank you Stephen.

KZfaq algorithm: He’ll literally watch anything

This is what should be shown in schools to show the children the real beauty and amazing wounded the planet has. Thank you for a wonderful journey I would never think of.

Thank you so much! A whole new world opened up to me and I was in awe to hear how the fungi have been growing after the destructive fires in Australia. Both your passion, skill and the fungi bring me hope.

It's insane to me how fungi species manage to swing wildly between more vibrant colors than even the most elegant of flowers to assorted forms of The Thing.

*Recommendations:* "How fungi changed my view of the world" *Me at 3am:* "Now this is the quality content i've been searching for."

Wow. I just have spent some of the best minutes of my day learning and being blown away! Thank you very much from Costa Rica. ❤️🇨🇷🍄

Your photographs are amazing, the fungi even more so. I went for a walk after rain near my home in a NSW coastal forest last week and saw many types of mushrooms I had never seen. I took some pics just with my phone camera. Taking time to admire nature is great for our mental wellbeing. Thanks Stephen,

This dude turned the “bird watching phase” of adulthood into a whole new successful profession for him

I love the fact that any one of us could go for a walk in a forest and find an undiscovered mushroom species.

this was absolutely wonderful. shocking really. and i have worked as sort of a life-scientist for decades. this gentleman is my hero.

This was fabulous! I’m so inspired! I started mushroom photography a few years ago. The glow in the dark mushrooms were incredible! WOW!

This is honestly one of the most enjoyable, personable, moving and inspiring nature documentaries I've watched.

This guy looks like he's reached Nirvana and is one with everything now. So inspiring to see someone find their unguessable calling.

This video is simply outstanding. Currently, I am taking field biology and we are studying mushroom and how they improve our natural surroundings. I have an exam on the subject and looking for videos to add to my study material, I found your video. I loved the work you have done. You are creating a legacy for the world of fungi. I will send your videos to my professor. Please keep up this outstanding work. Thank you 😊.

Perfect blend of art and science

This was so enjoyable. I’m glad that he found purpose and meaning in his life after going through heartache, with the snap of that first picture. What an amazing journey!

I like how his Tshirt just says "fungi fetish"

This video is an absolute eye-opener. Thank you, Sir!

Здравствуйте.Ваша работа великолепна.К большой моей радости я тоже умею видеть эти тонкости в природе. Хотя не так детально как вы. Вы даёте понять человеку , что не только мы имеем право здесь жить , но и другие живые существа тоже являются жителями земли и мы должны относиться к ним с увожением , потому что зависим друг от друга.

I really hope one of those amazing new species get named after this guy. His passion is so inspiring

holymoly it's itching all over my body watching this guy standing there in the middle of a cloud of mosquitos.

Thank you for this marvelous production. What a gifted photographer. I enjoyed this video immensely! Thank you!

This was very professional. As a gardener and composter, I notice every little fungus growing all year round (except for winter). And I bring to the dining room table all manner of weirdness for everybody to look at (not to eat). I even see mycelium in the soil for which the fruiting body is not yet presented. I realize that one has to walking around in the rainy season to find most of these fruiting bodies.

This man proudly wears the t-shirt of his kink.

26:00 it's crazy how that guy casually mentions the glowing mushrooms like they're super common, and they turn out to be a completely undocumented species

Purple mushroom? Wow I never knew one existed either! Thanks for sharing! 👍🏻😊

I love how this man followed his heart 💜

My face was lit up like an excited child through this whole documentary. I had no idea who was behind so much of my favourite art inspiration until now! I adore fungi and this has made me all the more passionate. Thank you so, so much for all of your hard work and artistry- as well as for bringing the hidden world of our fungi friends front and center!

Is no one gonna talk about how his shirt says “fungi fetish” 💀

I love people with specific niche that they are passionate about. It’s so interesting! The world of fungi has expanded because of this video! Thank you!

Mushrooms remind me of my childhood with my grandparents they would take me at 5 am to pick out mushrooms and would teach me the ones u can eat and the dangerous ones ❤I miss them amazing memories

When you develop an appreciation for the natural world, the entire world becomes fascinating. It always helped my depression to just go outside and go for a walk or hike. Everything from Rocks, trees, to animals fascinates me so much and it has improved my life tremendously.

The photos are brilliant. This gentleman"s words are more impressive still. Thank you Stephen

Im just in awe, thank you for this documentary and for letting us in and telling us your story.

I just loved this ! Amazed how God picks special persons to bring His wonders to the world. This man has been specially hand picked! Thank you so much !

This fine gentleman is eminently deserving of having his name attached to his blue fungi.

I love listening to people taking about the things they're passionate about I never knew fungi could be so interesting!

This was an amazing watch. I could honestly listen to this man talk about anything though. Much love my fellow fungi forager.

Mostly mushrooms make me uncomfortable but this, this is a work of art so beautiful i even shed a tear. Thank you for enlightening me.

Ugh, I was def crying when he said that the burnt forest had fungi growing in just 2 days or so. It's inspiring to know that despite destruction, something prevails.

This guy is a great communicator. I was engaged from start to finish.

I love how drastic the photographic improvement was after the first photo.

Beautiful! Fungi are so fascinating to me.. But then again, all life forms, and the universe itself are as well! Watching clips of these mushrooms growing and just being in awe at nature and life, makes me remember what it was like being a child - where everything in this world self-evidently appeared as magical, enchanted. We sometimes forget how beautiful & amazing this world is!

Would love to meet Stephen Axford, he seems like a Fungi.

I’m over here thinking that I’m the only person that finds taking pictures of fungi amazing. Now I need to step up my time lapse game.

It’s amazing how much fungi looks like undersea coral.

Fortunately, people like you are sharing the art they are doing w the new technologies that you are able to capture and share. Thank you for having as much passion for sharing your new found knowledge as you have for learning and discovering it. Our schools and societies aren’t teaching us the importance of looking down. We’ve always been guided to look up and see what’s in the sky. However. With small tidbits if info thrown at a young person like this video. It seeds a new curiosity and grows a new garden of knowledge. Thank you sir for planting e joyful seeds of curiosity, learning, discoveries, new ways to living to nourish and replenish the planet and humanity, and eventually wisdom to carry to the next generations after us!! A house I lived in for about 10 years gave me a new discovery and appreciation for how a small yard with a few various types of trees, grass, and soil interconnect and support each other. We had a couple of hurricanes and after all i of f the wind and rain. The yard became a mushroom garden with hundreds and hundreds of mushrooms. My daughter was only 4 at the time and we had a blast walking around talking about fairies and other fun stuff! My daughter saw all of those mushroom and dairy houses and was like”, momma, momma! The fairies must have a bunch of work to do from the hurricane And they picked our yard to build their new community and houses while the work on the local trees, forests, soil, and gardens!! I was in as much disbelief as she was when I saw of the mushrooms, the various types, and the different sizes. I spent 2 days taking photos. Then I spent hours and hours researching mushrooms and how to identify edible vs poison types. I never tested my knowledge though. No reason to take those chances when I knew many could be and are poisonous. Especially with several of them surrounding the several oak trees we had. I learned so many interesting things about mushrooms and still carry a passion and appreciation for them every since. Even before this I have always felt that fungi living around us in nature is the key to learning about how fungi effects our insides and our bodies. Along with learning more predictable methods to preventing cancers and other chronic diseases for humanity. I remember about 20 years ago I was just looking at a huge oak tree. It has a huge round bulb shape sticking out of the side of the trunk. I thought to myself” I wonder what caused it to grow a round mass like shape on its trunk like that. Then one thought led to another of thinking about how it could be a type of benign like tumor if a tree. Then I started thinking about how a fungus or mold can spread and begin to start killing the tree and plants. Before long much of the forest could be destroyed through this network just like cancerous cells take over someone’s body and the cancer cells learn how to replicate. Eventually destroying all of the other good cells in the body. Not that I know exactly what I’m taking about but just like this video explains. The network of mushroom fungi forks around and decomposes old rotting wood makes me think about a person moving up in age and maybe carrying inflammation inside their body over the years causing long term damage to their tissue to eventually a small area of tissue becomes severely damaged and the body’s immune system realizes the system is requiring too much energy and function to continue to repair that one area (maybe because a lot of energy is also being used to work on other unhealthy areas of the body. Therefore, the immune system network begins to treat that area as if that tissue is dead and begins a type decomposing process as a way to get that bad tissue out of the area and eventually out jf the body. So. Our bodily functions figure out a way to develop a type of fungus to break that body part down to a point to where we are able to eventually sweat it out and/or break it down to a waste product. However, if the area becomes bigger or another part of the body breaks down something triggers this decomposing network of fungi/bacteria to gain to much territory and overtakes the other good bacteria and other cells and eventually becomes the dominating group. Again, I’m just allowing speculation of my imagination run wild using what facts I do know mix in with stuff I have no idea what happens! Maybe to help someone understand how our bodies have thousands of little living organisms with hundreds of different functions going on inside of us working non stop to keep us healthy and alive. It’s hard for us to even conceive this because we are covered w skin and can’t see all of the hard non stop work going on inside of our bodies or brains. Before my mom passed away with cancer the oncologist told us her tumor had a type of fungus they found when they did a biopsy of her tumor. I can’t remember what they called it but it was some far out name. are constantly battling process becomes Tlater when I researched had around the different types fairies must have decided our yard is the best place to set up their new community.

Stephan, absolutely beautiful.! What an epic journey. You were gifted a little purple mushroom and found the entire planet. People like you are a gift to us all. You give us knowledge and you discover beauty. This is the biggest thumbs-up I've ever awarded a nature programme. Thank you for sharing this with us all.

Not sure why I was recommended this. The other day I was walking through a scrap of woodland and saw some startling red on the floor. Initially I thought it was litter, but on closer inspection it was a fungus. I took some photos and searched for them on Google when I got home. They were scarlet elf cups. Now after watching this video I think I am obsessed with fungi.

Mostly people are afraid of fungi due to pathogenesis but fungi are really life recyclers. Excellent photography and time-lapse videos,. Great work and information. 👍 From Pakistan 🇵🇰 Shagufta Fahmid

The way he keeps his focus while at least 60 mosquitoes make his face and hat there new home is AMAZING!!

Are we ignoring how still he is among all those mosquitoes? He's a heroe! 😂

This guy gets it. Fungi are so bizarre and interesting, yet so easily underappreciated. I still think there must still be a whole world to learn from studying fungi.

This man started the year I was born. I'm leaving uni with a degree in comp sci... I also have a college degree in bio, and I love how incredibly complex and important mushrooms are, especially the hyphae-root network. This might end up being my calling at this rate

Yes! I love the fungi community and the passionate curiosity that propels us to proselytize about the greatest Kingdom to anyone in shouting distance. Peace and power to all of you neeeeerrds😊

Some guy in the forest talking about fungi Mosquitoes: "Its free real estate."

I love fungi and I can't express how happy I am to find stuff about it. There are too few documentaries about fungi :(

I'm only 8 minutes in and I already love this video. It's so informative. Mushrooms are so cool!

So well articulated and everything ties so well into the next topic. Answered my questions before I could even think them.. amazing

I dont know why I got this recommended but I enjoyed every minute of it this man is a treasure

I would love to read a book written by this guy. He’s so passionate; it’s really inspiring :)

I only hope one day I find my passion such as this lad has. So cool to see someone talking in depth about about things they know and care so much about.

That calmness amongst those critters. It would literally take me 2 seconds to completely flip out.