Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Fungus Among--us

Meanwhile the rains and humidity have provided a wonderful world of beautiful fungi/mushrooms. I'm going to just ID these with common names as I could be off with their true identity.

According to 'Google Lens' and one of my ID books, these should be Cany Caps fungi. They are similar to another kind of mushroom, however you have to look at cellular structure and spore prints. I did smell them and they did smell sort of sweet.





I can't believe my luck in finding these. I had walked through a few other places where I always find mushrooms and fungi. I found plenty of deer but not cool fungi.

So, I took a detour to a different section where I usually don't find fungi and was surprised by the amount of cool mushrooms and slime mold I was able to find.

I don't recall seeing any mushrooms in this section of the forest in the past few years of drought. So I imagine the spores have just been waiting for heat and humid conditions.
This fall ought to produce a magnificent showing of fungi.

I couldn't believe my eyes. In a small area, everywhere I looked I saw these.

Angel of Death Mushroom.
Destroying Angel

But.... according to certain sources these are only supposed to grow on the west coast of the US. I am sort of confused because I can't find any other white mushroom that looks like this.


I still think it is a cool looking mushroom. It was easy to spot in the forest and they grew in singles or very small clumps of two near each other.

I'm just going to be safe and obviously not eat them. There are very few wild ones I can identify safely, this is not one of them.



They are quite beautiful though. Pure white with a stunning shape.

I couldn't help but use them in a Rock Monster photo. It seems like Zombies and Monsters would like such a mushroom.


Then there were many spots of 'False Coral Fungi' aka known as Sebacina which don't grow on wood but on forest floor litter. I found so many specimens.

This one was the cleanest.


The Lego Zombies thought it was great too.


Why not get some for supper?
Not that I'd try it, but apparently it doesn't hurt skeletons.


There was so many of them in this little area that I was able to shoot in several spots. 

A vampire knight seems to be happy in this bunch of older fungi.


The mornings have been foggy and of course damp. The past two mornings have been cool along with a heavy dew. Even the flower beds are sprouting little fungi families.

These are more than likely 'Common Ink Caps'. The appear and quickly spore and shrivel up.





Don't eat the mushrooms...at least I don't even try unless it is something I definitely know is safe.

I wonder if the dinosaurs were told to be careful???
Gee, I don't know.



13 comments:

  1. Those zombies better be careful hanging out with some unidentified mushrooms!

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    1. I think they thrive on nasty ones! LOL

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  2. Wow, you hit the fungi and mushroom motherlode! Your last photo made me laugh out loud!

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    1. August through October are usually when the best of the best of cool neat and odd mushrooms are out and about. I love finding and looking for them.

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  3. Nice finds! I had some Ink Caps at the end of the walk the other day they shrivel as fast as they appear. We have had lots of rain too!

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    1. Those ink caps are amazing and so fast to spring up and do their thing...then poof! Gone!

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  4. Cute assortment! Linda in Kansas

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  5. You sure don’t mind getting low for photos. Good for you.

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    1. Yes. I sit right down in the dirt and enjoy studying them.

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  6. I never in my life thought I would enjoy mushroom photos!

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    1. They are some of the most surprising things found in the forest!

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  7. These are great and such a variety of fungi. I took my own mushroom photos today but they weren't nearly as exciting as the ones you saw, and I love those character scenes. What fun!

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    1. Thank you, I've been interested and have looked for fungi, mushrooms, and slime mold for years and I have a forest in my 'back yard' so to speak. Over the years I've gotten pretty intimate with them. So interesting.

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