Monday, October 11, 2021

Crazy about Fungi

 



I cannot recall ever finding these wild fungi before. They are growing in 'gregarious' groups and solo on this ancient dying box elder tree in the Buckthorn forest.

Though we know that box elders never really die, they just send out new shoots.

I couldn't help myself since I seem to always have a little something extra in my pockets.


I believe the proper scientific name for these are: leucopholiota decorosa. I have not found a common name for them yet.

Here is a look at what a slightly older bunch looks like:


I am so fascinated by them that I keep going back to look at them. Thank goodness, they are a short walk from the house.

A bit further down the hill I found this unidentified fungi. Looks like a Slug Love Fest going on...


I found an Artist Conk also known as a shelf polypore.



Each year I bring one home and do this:


I'm not very good at drawing with sticks. I let it dry and then bring it indoors for my fall display on a little table. It feels nice and woodsy. I know, I'm a bit odd. 

Oh! And on my way back from the woods I found very fresh Chicken of the Woods. So I picked just a little and cooked it up for us to taste. 



We lived. I may pick some more and cook them up to go with our burgers tonight. 

I couldn't resist this one either. For a long time I wanted to try this with a tiny figure and even tinier tea cup.


This is my 'creative' play. It was so hard to place that cup in a saucer and balance it on that tiny fungi. It was fun trying to find a perfect spot for the little squirrel too. I must have tried about 10 angles and different spots to shoot from.

With this tiny tea set, I got tiny plates and silverware. I have to place the silverware with tweezers because my fumbly fingers won't work with such tiny items.


The 'table' is a piece of pine bark. I just made those 'shrooms out of Magic Model clay stuff. Behind them are the twigs that are now painted and have funky moss glued to them.

Rich walks by my little thing and shakes his head then pats me on the head.

More on that at another time.

In the meantime...enjoy fall and enjoy looking at the forest floor as well as the fall foliage.

Happy Hunting....




6 comments:

  1. SO many cool things in this post! Like those nubby looking mushrooms. We don't have box elder trees (that I know of) never seen them before. Artist conk? I wondered what that was when you mentioned it earlier. Love what you did/do with it. Your 'shroom pics are adorable! Since fungi is ever changing, you could have endless fun with them. Great scene set up too. Your handmade mushrooms turned out great!

    You got brave & tried the Chicken! Stupid question time, does it taste like chicken? I am pretty sure that is what I saw growing & posted in my recent fall fungi post (10/5 photo). It is still there. Saw it again this morning, walking with my three fur-babies.

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    1. Well here is my photo of an early summer Chicken of the Woods:
      https://www.flickr.com/photos/xenas_images/51343091438/in/album-466610/

      But the ones I found yesterday were super fresh and in more layers. I tried a tiny piece and it seemed fine and tasted like the butter it was sautéed in. I went back this morning when I moved the mules and decided they looked icky.
      So I only tried them once and meh, they were okay.

      Apparently some people may not get along with this wild food.

      That said, I tried it and for now that is enough.

      Thanks on the handmade stuff. I hope to make diorama type things with the toys to keep my mind occupied on crappy days.


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  2. Chicken of the woods! I'm glad you tried it! Cheryl says you can send us any "unwanted samples". I checked out your flicker page and that one looks like it might have been a little old. People say that they lose their flavor when they get old, so "keep trying!" Thankfully, the first one we ever found was FRESH and Cheryl fell in love with it.
    Your First mushroom pics have me paging through all of my books trying to figure it out. ( I should look up your scientific name as well!) In one of my books there are two species that look similar. (Sharp-scaly pholiota, and Scaly pholiota.) They look like the older version as they age as well. I see they share the same latin root... maybe. FUN! Discovery! Also love the tea table. Cheryl had a good laugh.

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  3. I really like the squirrel and teacup! It is just perfect! :)

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    1. I have been trying different methods of that for a while and never quite got the one I liked until just that moment.
      Thank you.

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  4. I enjoy all of your photos.

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