May 2020 – recycled paper clips

Morbid Mushrooms: What are Dead Man’s Fingers?

If there is a single fungus which exemplifies the morbid connotations of that word, it is “Dead Man’s Fingers,” Xylaria polymorpha. The wikipedia article, probably written by someone more familiar with mycology than literature, falsely claims that the fungus is mentioned in Hamlet Act IV Scene 7, when Gertrude describes Ophelia’s suicide. “There with fantasticContinue reading “Morbid Mushrooms: What are Dead Man’s Fingers?”

Mower’s Mushroom: Official Fungus of the American Dream.

We’ve probably all seen this mushroom at one point or another. It’s something like the squirrel of the fungal kingdom. Ubiquitous. Suburban. I almost want to say “American.” The kind of mushroom you might encounter at a Memorial day bbq. Grass, ants, hot dogs…and Panaeolus foenisecii. Mycologically, what are its distinctive characteristics? Perhaps the mostContinue reading “Mower’s Mushroom: Official Fungus of the American Dream.”

What is a “deer mushroom”?

Show anyone you meet out hiking a fairly nondescript brownish-grey mushroom and they’ll probably tell you it’s a “deer mushroom.” But what actually is a deer mushroom, other than a catch-all term for things we can’t otherwise identify? It’s actually fairly simple. A deer mushroom (Pluteus cervinus) has three key characteristics: 1) it’s growing fromContinue reading “What is a “deer mushroom”?”

Tree ID Continued: Oaks and Maples

Slowly but surely I am learning my trees. A couple weeks ago, in my post, “On Bark,” I wrote about ash, tulip, northern red oak, black locust and honey locust. Today I would like to add a couple oaks and maples to the list: Chestnut Oak, Black Oak and Sugar Maple. Quercus montana, or theContinue reading “Tree ID Continued: Oaks and Maples”

What’s growing in my yard?

Taking a break from hiking this week, to learn about three things growing in my backyard (and probably yours). Number 1: Glechoma hederacea, aka “creeping charlie,” “ground ivy,” “alehoof,” “catsfoot,” “field balm,” “Couronne de Terre,” “Run away robin” etc, etc… As its many, many names suggest, this weed has been a part of human lifeContinue reading “What’s growing in my yard?”

Late Spring, Mushrooms and More!

Morel season is in the books, but what we’ve lost in culinary thrill we’ve gained in variety. Has anyone else seen these?

The Politics of Rain Man

Rain Man opens with a scene which could be the picture definition of “toxic.” Toxic workplace, toxic masculinity. Tom Cruise, the wheeler-dealer son a multimillionaire is yelling at people in order to make a profit on some lamborghinis. The EPA (which stars more prominently as arch-villain in another Reagan-era hit: Ghostbusters) is holding things up.Continue reading “The Politics of Rain Man”

How to ID a Mushroom

Ok, you’ve spotted it, growing there a couple yards off the path: now what? Well, first look up and see what’s growing around it. In this case, we’ve got a pretty mixed hardwood forest, oaks, hickories and tulips. Is it growing on wood? No, it’s terrestrial, this means we probably have a mycorrhizal mushroom (meaningContinue reading “How to ID a Mushroom”

On Bark

Tree bark is one of those things difficult to describe without metaphor. It’s also one of those things people can recognize without being able to describe (giving rise to numerous not particularly helpful youtube videos, and demonstrating, by the way, that we can think, or at least categorize, outside of language). Whereas leaves can beContinue reading “On Bark”