Fantastic Fungi

Who doesn’t like mushrooms? Mostly the edible ones, I assume, but looking at them in the wild, I also really enjoy the colors and varieties of fungi in nature, including colorful lichen found on trees and rocks.


There are some whimsical myths and legends surrounding mushrooms. According to the Audubon Field Guide to mushrooms, the circular patterns on some mushrooms were thought to have been caused by fairies dancing around them at night. And of course, there are “magic mushrooms” used by some native peoples, especially in South America to assist them on vision quests, the practice of which is limited but still exists.

Often, mushrooms seem to have appeared overnight, but they have actually been growing underground or under tree bark for some time before we see them pop up. Several plant varieties would not exist without mushrooms as they have formed a symbiotic relationship and exchange nutrients with each other. The mushroom is the fruiting part of the fungus that appears above ground. They are considered plants, but they do not contain chlorophyll and rely on organic material for nutrients. The caps can be various shapes, sizes and colors and either dry or oily.


Edible mushrooms can smell like various foods such as corn, cucumbers, fish, garlic and others. Of course it’s a good idea to have carefully studied the difference between edible mushrooms and poisonous varieties before trying them! My late brother-in-law was into cooking and I remember him gathering wild mushrooms growing next to his driveway to use in some of his dishes. That made me nervous but fortunately he never poisoned the family.


While hunting through the Audubon guide as well as online trying to identify the varieties in the photos I have posted here, I found that there are many, many varieties that look very similar, so I was only really able to identify four out of the six. Even though I am far from a fungus expert, I can still enjoy them visually with all their interesting shapes and patterns.


For more of my mushrooms, fungi and lichen images, please visit my gallery here:
https://mary-bedy.pixels.com/collections/mushrooms


 


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