Showing posts with label Fungi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fungi. Show all posts
October 17, 2014
Beautiful Decay
These mushrooms are quickly decaying but I thought they were still amazingly beautiful:
March 16, 2013
August 30, 2012
Night Adventures
The first official Found on the Trail group field trip was conducted yesterday evening, with great fanfare and much excitement.
Family members asked, "You're going where?" and looked at us quizzically as we loaded up with highly sensitive instruments, meant to record scientific data. And then, we were out the door!
As you will recall, yesterday's post was on those luscious, bright orange mushrooms called Jack O'Lanterns. Multiple sources online had indicated that these fungi would glow in the dark. Eager to see this phenomena, intrepid reader Sarah and myself conducted an investigative foray onto the bike path late last night.
And this, dear readers, is is what we saw:
Yep. That's it. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
Highly disappointed, we knelt close to the specimens, and peered under their thick, leathery caps. No glow.
Imagine our disappointment! Granted, there was a bright moon, and a street light cast its beam in the vicinity, but still. We had expected something! After all, their legendary glow is said to have guided lost pioneers home in the dark, in days past.
This glow is supposed to occur along the same principles as the glimmer produced in lightning bugs. Even knowing this, we could not refrain from placing an artificial light sources under their gorgeous caps in an irrational hope of supplying a needed trigger. This provided not even a residual flicker, once removed.
However, this photo, taken during the process, is a good example of the sort of glow we had hoped to witness naturally:
Sadly disappointed, and slightly startled by a big, brown creature that ran close by us, we decided to leave. But first, we took photos to document for the world our devotion to scientific research. There are almost no depths to which we would not plummet in order to ascertain facts for this blog:
Having concluded our field work, we proceeded to the research vehicle to a soundtrack of our own laughter and neighborhood dogs barking at us suspiciously. We left the vicinity, confident that we had done all we could do, for that night. More research will have to be conducted in order to determine the truth behind the alleged glowing properties of this fungi.
Family members asked, "You're going where?" and looked at us quizzically as we loaded up with highly sensitive instruments, meant to record scientific data. And then, we were out the door!
As you will recall, yesterday's post was on those luscious, bright orange mushrooms called Jack O'Lanterns. Multiple sources online had indicated that these fungi would glow in the dark. Eager to see this phenomena, intrepid reader Sarah and myself conducted an investigative foray onto the bike path late last night.
And this, dear readers, is is what we saw:
Yep. That's it. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.
Highly disappointed, we knelt close to the specimens, and peered under their thick, leathery caps. No glow.
Imagine our disappointment! Granted, there was a bright moon, and a street light cast its beam in the vicinity, but still. We had expected something! After all, their legendary glow is said to have guided lost pioneers home in the dark, in days past.
This glow is supposed to occur along the same principles as the glimmer produced in lightning bugs. Even knowing this, we could not refrain from placing an artificial light sources under their gorgeous caps in an irrational hope of supplying a needed trigger. This provided not even a residual flicker, once removed.
However, this photo, taken during the process, is a good example of the sort of glow we had hoped to witness naturally:
Sadly disappointed, and slightly startled by a big, brown creature that ran close by us, we decided to leave. But first, we took photos to document for the world our devotion to scientific research. There are almost no depths to which we would not plummet in order to ascertain facts for this blog:
Having concluded our field work, we proceeded to the research vehicle to a soundtrack of our own laughter and neighborhood dogs barking at us suspiciously. We left the vicinity, confident that we had done all we could do, for that night. More research will have to be conducted in order to determine the truth behind the alleged glowing properties of this fungi.
August 29, 2012
Jack O'Lantern Mushrooms
Are you ready for Halloween? These mushrooms are. Take a look at these massive, bright orange beauties! They are called jack o'lantern mushrooms, or Omphalotus olearius. (Say that six times fast in a row!)
A friend told me about these beautiful fungi. She'd seen them on her morning bike ride, and left a note on my car windshield as to their location, because she knew I was out sleuthing in the nearby creek bed. Thank you, Sarah. What a find!
These mushrooms, while glorious to behold, are poisonous. They won't necessarily kill you, but can cause you to have severe cramps and vomiting, among other reactions. Yet oddly enough, I read on Wikipedia that some people suffer from poisoning more than once because they find them irresistible. Sounds like a malignant plot twist in a fairy tale, doesn't it?
So, you can look, but don't taste!
And that's not all. Their gills are supposed to glow in the dark. Hmmm. I'll have to check that out. Anyone up for a field trip?
A friend told me about these beautiful fungi. She'd seen them on her morning bike ride, and left a note on my car windshield as to their location, because she knew I was out sleuthing in the nearby creek bed. Thank you, Sarah. What a find!
These mushrooms, while glorious to behold, are poisonous. They won't necessarily kill you, but can cause you to have severe cramps and vomiting, among other reactions. Yet oddly enough, I read on Wikipedia that some people suffer from poisoning more than once because they find them irresistible. Sounds like a malignant plot twist in a fairy tale, doesn't it?
So, you can look, but don't taste!
And that's not all. Their gills are supposed to glow in the dark. Hmmm. I'll have to check that out. Anyone up for a field trip?
June 30, 2012
Walk Along the River
Checked out a new trail along the river today, with Hyperion. We found lots to look at, such as these trees, who have been busy planting their colony out into the river.
Red tree fungi.
These willows have also made their move, taking root in the river.
I liked this little "wreath" of leaves I found on the forest floor.
We came upon this man-made structure. It was bigger than it looks here. We wondered if someone meant to light it on fire. If so, it would have been massive blaze.
As we walked under the shade of the forest, we found that parts of the understory were completely taken over by poison ivy. Here's a shot of it. It completely filled my photo screen.
Another manmade structure. This was right near a recently used fire pit on the shore. Hyperion figured it must have been a holder for someone's fishing pole.
I just loved this leaf - the variations in color, and its toothy edges.
Rows of fuzzy green fungi.
Disco balls!
More leaf litter.
Hyperion, holding a lotus pod from last year.
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