Shaggy-stalked Lepiota

 

 

I can never be certain about mushrooms. They're just such a dizzying variety that any identification I make is, at best, a wild guess. And, anyway, my interest in them isn't so much scientific as artistic. I just think they're fascinating to look at and fun to photograph. There also seem to be a lot of them around this month.

 

Eastern Cauliflower

 

"Sparassis (also known as cauliflower mushroom) is a genus of parasitic and saprobic mushroom characterised by its unique shape and appearance and is found around the globe. Its appearance can be described as similar to a sea sponge, a brain or a head of cauliflower, hence its popular name." -- Wikipedia

Slime?

 

 

 

I do wonder how many times in a week people pass by this stuff and think to themselves, "Ugh! That's disgusting!" Yeah, well, I agree. On the other hand, I'm also reminded of this little piece of wisdom found in my National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mushrooms: 

 

"Mushrooms [or more broadly, fungi] also play a vital role in the world's ecosystem. Many land plants could not thrive in their absence, since some establish a symbiotic relationship with fungi, exchanging essential nutrients. And were it not for mushrooms, which hasten decomposition, many dead plants and fallen trees would take far longer to decay." 

Morning Commute

 

Tawny Emperor

 

"This butterfly may be seen flying near houses, gravel driveways (✅), near water, muddy places, gardens, and woodlands. Its only host plant is hackberry trees." -- Wikipedia

Waxing Crescent

 

Jamestown-Scotland Ferry under a waxing crescent moon.

Linking today with Skywatch Friday.

Lepiota

 

There are a dizzying variety of mushrooms; so much so, in fact, that I'm hard pressed even with a field guide to identify most. This one is no exception. Looks to me like Lepiota procure. Can anyone confirm that?

Lepiota is a genus of gilled mushrooms in the family Agaricaceae. All Lepiota species are ground-dwelling saprotrophs with a preference for rich, calcareous soils. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are agaricoid with whitish spores, typically with scaly caps and a ring on the stipe. Around 400 species of Lepiota are currently recognized worldwide. Many species are poisonous, some lethally so." -- Wikipedia