Scale Free Network will again collaborate with writer Ailsa Wild and visual ecologist Aviva Reed to creatively develop two new stories in the groundbreaking Small Friends book series. Set on the micro-scale, ‘The Forest in the Tree’ will be inspired by communities connected through the underground fungal ‘internet’, and ‘Xenos’ Feast’ will tell a darker tale of life, death and parasitism within the soil.

In order to learn about the complex microscopic world within soil – the skin of the earth – we needed to talk to the experts. Our journey took us from our Melbourne home to the University of Queensland (Brisbane) and the University of Arizona (Tucson) to meet with biologists, microbiologists, nematologists and microscopists to talk about all things soil.

Finally, we spent six days in Germany at the Technische Universität München and Helmholtz Zentrum München. learning about the complex connections between soil, trees, mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria.

One thing is for sure – soil is an incredibly diverse and dynamic environment which plays crucial role in the health of the planet.

More images available in our other Flickr Set.