As snow piles up all around the house and temperatures remain in the single digits, I turn my garden-thirsty eye to my trusty houseplants.
While doing some repotting the other day, I studied the thin white tendrils of mycelium that intertwine with the roots of the plant. This mycorrhizal network, you may have seen at the roots of a mushroom, is a vast underground web of fungal threads that exists in the soil of the earth acting as its circulatory system. In addition to sending nutrients and breaking down decayed matter so it can be re-used, it can also be the means of communication between trees and plants of all species warning of danger and giving neighbors time to defend themselves. When a plant is diseased or attacked by insects the vigorous part of the forest sends extra nutrients to help ward off invaders.
The people of Minneapolis during this surge by ICE are behaving like human mycelium. The community has begun to mirror this biological strategy, transforming from a collection of individuals to a resilient interconnected superorganism. Reaching out to the weaker parts of the community and the families who are under attack, the people are standing up for their neighbors. In severe cold they come out to observe, record and try to disrupt the aggression that has come to their city.
By their brave example, we are all learning about the strength in connectedness. We see the strong helping the weak, we see concern for others’ safety come before their own and we see boxes of groceries carefully brought to the doorsteps of those in danger.
In nature this fungal network encourages healthy growth and greater strength in the individual plants which in turn create a diverse and balanced ecosystem. To build a stable future, we must continue to “think like mycelium” fostering deep-rooted networks of care that prioritize the survival of the whole over the comfort of a few.
Going forward as our society is facing greater violence and we see cases of the strong attacking the weak we must learn from the mycelium. A society that functions as a living network is not just harder to break; it is inherently designed to thrive together.
Kanta Lipsky lives in West Tisbury.
This article appears in February 6, 2026.