A couple of days ago, while searching for some old photographs for another post, I came across a folder filled with mushrooms and trees photographed in 2006. In today's contribution for #FungiFriday by @ewkaw I'll show you that old unpublished stuff. Have a good viewing.
This is the Clathrus rubber, a very distinctive fungus that produces a fruiting body that looks like a scarlet basket. The fruiting body shown in this opening photograph is relatively old and will start to decay soon. Just like all mushrooms in this post ...
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... it was photographed in the woods on the lower slopes of the mountain called Uchka, about ninety kilometers from where I live.
You can see another Clathrus rubber in this shot. This fruiting body is younger, and you can see the remains of the egg-like structure from which the vivid red basket comes out, at its base. This smelly fungus from the Phallaceae family uses flies for spore dispersion. The fragrance emanating from the fruiting body, while being unpleasant to my nose, is very attractive to various flies that come to feed on the sticky goo, produced by the fungus as a reward. The basket-like shape provides a relatively safe, sheltered feeding place for flies.
This is the Macrolepiota procera, commonly known as the parasol mushroom. This is one of my favorite free edibles from the woods. It's big, meaty, and it tastes really good. Especially when dipped in beaten egg and then fried in breadcrumbs.
Here you can see a very young Macrolepiota procera fruiting body. In the following photograph ...
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... you can take a look at the autumnal foliage and the branches of the trees.
The lovely red fungus shown in this photograph is the Aleuria aurantia, commonly known as the orange peel fungus.
Here you can take a look at the same kind of fungus with a fallen leaf next to it. In the following photograph ...
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... you can take another look at the scenery.
This is the Russula emetica. I used the flash in this photograph. In the following one ...
... you can see the same mushroom photographed in the natural light.
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Late last night, while preparing the photograph for this post, I decided to take a break from reality and have a bit of artsy fun in Photoshop.
This is the Psathyrella candolleana, a relatively small, inconspicuous mushroom from the Psathyrellaceae. It's edible but I never tied it because, with quite a few similar-looking mushrooms around, I'm not confident enough to pick it.
