Fascinating Fungi

I love watching birds and wildlife, but I also like to explore nature.  It was one of my main pastimes as a child, one I rediscovered a few years ago.  Nature never disappoints, there is always something new and delightful to discover.  Take the many different species of fungi for example, they can be found no matter the season it seems.

Before I go on with photos and descriptions, here is a definition of the word fungi:   Fungi (fŭn'jī), kingdom of heterotrophic single-celled, multinucleated, or multicellular organisms, including yeasts, molds, and mushrooms

A floral cluster

 Mostly they grow on the ground, beneath weeds and trees, or hidden by tall grasses.

Little red caps

Some bloom on fallen logs, these come in various colors and shapes.  The one in the above photo looks like a little red cap.  The one below looks more like coral from beneath the ocean.

mimicking coral

Some looks like foam, that seems to bubble up from beneath the surface of the wood.

Beneath the snow

I have seen fungi growing on the branches of live trees, or on the trunk in a cascade of growth.  I have seen it at the top of a tree stump in a sheet of white, much like a blanket of snow, only to run off the side where it formed small, fragile white shelves.

There are of course the regular mushroom shapes as well as puffballs, and many others I'm sure.  Some fungi are edible, some are poisonous and some are even medicinal in nature.  Many more are nature's recycling agents.

Faery steps

My very favorite fungi is shown above, the ones that I call faery steps, and grow shelf like along the trunk of both live and dead standing trees.


Enjoy,
Susan