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Recent Non-fungal Finds

Beech Blight Aphids Beech blight aphids are funny little insects that feed on the sap of beech trees. They have fluffy white appendages (I’m not sure what to call them) which they wag back and forth in a kind of dance. Apparently this is a defensive mechanism, although to me this would seem to justContinue reading “Recent Non-fungal Finds”

Russula Rainbow

Russulas are notoriously hard to identify, so much so that most of the time I don’t even try. However, this year I feel like I’ve made some progress due to some colorful finds. Russula is a large genus of mushrooms, characterized by brittle gills and stems. If you bend the stipe of most mushrooms, you’llContinue reading “Russula Rainbow”

August Photo Highlights

Mushroom Lingo #11: Punctae

I recently bought Boletes of Eastern North America, which has been a game-changer for identifying all those incredibly similar cushiony pored mushrooms we call boletes. One thing about it that has changed my mindset is that it starts off by closely examining the stalk. Boletes are divided into five groups, based on the qualities ofContinue reading “Mushroom Lingo #11: Punctae”

First Thoughts on Oliver Sacks

I have been intrigued by Oliver Sacks for a while, but only recently actually read him. Someone like Oliver Sacks is so desperately needed: someone with all the right medical credentials who has also thought deeply about the moral implications of modern neurology. Unfortunately, I don’t think Sacks is what he is promised to be.Continue reading “First Thoughts on Oliver Sacks”

July Photo Highlights

Above: Clymene Moth

Mushroom Report: The Snaketongue Truffleclub.

Last week, as I was sitting down to photograph a small field of deliquescing Ochre Jelly Babies, I noticed a large matchstick looking club fungus sticking up out of the ground. My first thought was that it was one of the famous Cordyceps mushrooms which parasitize insects, for instance by hijacking the brains of certainContinue reading “Mushroom Report: The Snaketongue Truffleclub.”

Snow Fungus: A Tropical Edible in Indiana

I mentioned in a previous post that Snow Fungus, Tremella fuciformis, deserved its own post. Firstly because, although you wouldn’t know it from the looks of it, it is considered a choice edible, and is actually cultivated to the tune of over 100,000 metric tones a year1. Despite having little appreciable flavor, you can findContinue reading “Snow Fungus: A Tropical Edible in Indiana”

Do mushrooms grow underwater?

Fungi are one of the most diverse and omnipresent forms of life. There are likely millions of species, the vast majority of which are unidentified and poorly understood, performing all kinds of crazy ecological roles we haven’t even begun to study. But they do have one limitation: mushrooms don’t grow underwater, right? You won’t seeContinue reading “Do mushrooms grow underwater?”

Chanterelles!

Chanterelles are out! The upcoming two months are the best time of year, in my opinion, if you are looking to harvest edible mushrooms for the table. I won’t go over how to identify chanterelles, as there are already plenty of resources on that. Instead, I’m just going to share some pictures of the differentContinue reading “Chanterelles!”