Taking a break from fungi today to explore a sound I’ve been hearing since the season of morels and mayapples. (Unfortunately, it turns out you can’t upload audio content to wordpress without a premium account, but “Susan’s in the Garden” has got us covered over on youtube!) At first, we thought we had a babyContinue reading “Backyard Naturalism: The Grey Catbird.”
Author Archives: recycledpaperclips
Mushroom Lingo #4: Universal Veil
Building off of last week’s discussion of partial veils, let’s talk the UNIVERSAL VEIL… A universal veil is a membrane that fully covers the immature bodies of certain mushrooms. Sometimes it makes them look like they are bursting out of eggs: As they mature, the universal veil disintegrates. How it disintegrates is what you wantContinue reading “Mushroom Lingo #4: Universal Veil”
wait wait…one more coral fungus!
Came across this guy too late for yesterday’s post. But that’s ok because it deserves it’s own. Clavaria zollingeri can’t be confused for anything else. Its purple color and antler-like tips are truly distinctive. Like the Crown-Tipped coral fungus it is “saprobic,” meaning it grows on decaying organic matter. It usually grows in moss (theContinue reading “wait wait…one more coral fungus!”
Earthstars and Coral Fungi
Yesterday, I was lucky enough to spot two fungi I would never have noticed if I hadn’t specifically been looking for mushrooms. Which would have been a shame, because they’re both pretty cool. The first, above, is Ramaria formosa (most likely), distinctive for its pink branches with yellow tips. Unlike one of the other coralContinue reading “Earthstars and Coral Fungi”
Mushroom Lingo #3: Partial Veil
“Partial veil” is a rather mysterious, almost existential, name for a thin covering of the gills or pores on the underside of a mushroom’s cap. You are actually much more familiar with partial veils than you realize, because Agaricus bisporus, the supermarket button mushroom features one. As the mushroom gets older, the partial veil disintegratesContinue reading “Mushroom Lingo #3: Partial Veil”
Mushroom Lingo #2: Bruising
A key identifying feature for many mushrooms is whether they “bruise” or “stain” a certain color. To test this you don’t have to punch your mushroom, or drop it off a small cliff. Simply scratch the surface with a knife, or if you don’t have one, your fingernail, as above. It can also be usefulContinue reading “Mushroom Lingo #2: Bruising”
Exsudoporus frostii! A Gem of a Mushroom.
This gem of a mushroom was definitely the highlight of today’s hike. Not only does it have a beautifully “reticulate” stipe, it exudes (hence the scientific name) golden droplets when young and fresh, something I didn’t know until today. Apparently it’s edible, but who would want to eat it?
Book Review: The Borderland of Fear: Vincennes, Prophetstown, and the Invasion of the Miami Homeland.
First of all let me say I give this book five stars. It’s not easy to find books about Native American history that don’t either treat Native Americans as uncivilized savages or as romanticized heroes. I started, but had to put down, A Sorrow in our Heart, Allan W. Eckert’s Hollywood version of the lifeContinue reading “Book Review: The Borderland of Fear: Vincennes, Prophetstown, and the Invasion of the Miami Homeland.”
Coniferous Oddballs: Three Conifers and their distinctive features.
First of all, there is a difference between a “conifer” and an “evergreen,” as the Bald-cypress shows. A conifer is a tree that produces a cone rather than a flower to spread its seeds. An evergreen is simply a tree that doesn’t lose its leaves. The Bald-Cypress produces a rather quirky spherical cone, making itContinue reading “Coniferous Oddballs: Three Conifers and their distinctive features.”
recycled paper clips 