Alfred Drummond-Herdman, a 27-year-old trainee lawyer in Edinburgh, has become a natural history sensation by filming timelapses of fungi growing on animal faeces. His videos have been viewed by millions worldwide and have led to the formal identification of two new species. His bedroom is filled with terrariums and plastic containers holding cowpats, grouse droppings, and rabbit pellets, which he receives in the post from well-wishers.
A Unique Hobby
Drummond-Herdman is possibly the only person in the UK who receives animal faeces by post out of goodwill. His wardrobe and cupboards have been cleared to make room for his collection. 'I have a very understanding housemate,' he says. The containers house sections of dung from herbivores, which do not smell because they are mostly undigested plant material.
From these containers emerge brightly coloured contortions of fungi, photographed every 30 seconds to create timelapses that have attracted over 60,000 followers on Instagram. Some posts have millions of views, including a recent video of dog's vomit slime mould appearing to consume a living ant, and a conecap mushroom growing on deer droppings.
Discovering New Species
Drummond-Herdman is a self-taught amateur taxonomist who became fascinated with coprophilous fungi—fungi that grow on dung—during the pandemic while walking in the Ochil Hills near Stirling. He recalls, 'In Scotland one summer, I came across cowpats that had all sorts of mushrooms growing from them. It was like a forest. It was so bizarre, you could not miss it. I went online to identify them, and that was really the beginning of the rabbit hole that I have been going down ever since.'
His work has led to the identification of two new species, with more on the way. He collaborates with other enthusiasts and experts on forums to study and identify British specimens. According to estimates by Kew, at least 2 million fungi species are yet to be discovered worldwide.
Inspiring Conservation
Drummond-Herdman hopes his videos inspire a greater appreciation for nature conservation, particularly fungi. 'I am trying to shout about them in the right way. The whole point of this is not to name a random species that 10 people read about in a journal. I want to show that taxonomy is the frontline of biodiversity research. Researching habitat loss and native species is nothing without it,' he says.
His extraordinary images provide a rare insight into a world that surrounds us all but few ever see. 'I am enthralled by the bizarreness and the contrast between something like a cowpat – the last things anyone wants to spend time around – and the incredible beauty and complexity of the fungi. Usually when you see these things in the wild, you're just getting a snapshot of their lifecycle. The timelapses show it all,' he explains.
