Tag Archives: mushrooms

Blog, Wanderings

Mushroom Circle

On the British-Columbia coast, the fall of 2013 was an exceptional fruiting season for mushrooms, in both variety and quantity. That November, while going from A to B in my neck of the woods, I chose to take a shortcut through the forest instead of following my usual path. That shortcut was tricky to navigate, there were lots of obstacles in my non-existing path and I was paying attention to where I was putting my feet.

At one point, I looked up to figure out where I was headed, and this is what I saw:
Cercle de champignons WL

It was a jaw-dropping sight. These short-stem russulas (Russula brevipes), growing in a circle that had a diameter of at least 35 feet!

Some of these russulas were massive. Here is a close up with someone’s hand, to show the scale. Massive.

Cercle de champignons Dimension
So, if I ever needed an excuse not to follow the usual path, this is the perfect one. Get off the path, and go wander in the woods! (…and into my old photo files, too…)

Blog, Just Because, Wanderings

Eyes to the ground: payoff!

November is a windy and grey month on the Gulf Islands of BC. The wind topples trees and causes power outages. This is sort of expected, and means that we rely on generators and fireplaces or wood stoves to stay warm, keep the fridge going, and have a light or two to read. And a purring cat never hurts.

All that rain produces all sorts of blossomings in the mosses on the forest floor.

The moss, which had gone “brittle” over the dry summer months, has now regained its emerald green lush and springy thickness.  And some version of it are blooming.
Blooming Mosses, November

Then, mushrooms are also making an appearance. On my morning walk, a couple of days ago, here is what I found next to the path…

November Mushroom

I have to admit that I don’t know the name of the cup-shape mushroom (although it could possibly be the brown-clustered ear cup…), nor of the little one that is poking up in the mosses, in the lower left corner of this photo. Obviously, I will have to start carrying the mushroom identification book, and highlight the ones I recognize.

Blog, Photo Wednesday, Wanderings

Nature Morte – Photo Wednesday

This week’s composition: a trio of mushrooms on a decaying log.

Winter hikes on Saturna have led me to accumulate lots of close-ups of the forest floor. The textures are amazing, when you start to pay attention!

Mushrooms on a decaying log

I think this one is Turkey Tail  (Trametes versicolor), but I couldcertainly be wrong… This mushroom is quite common around here. In China and Japan, T versicolor is used as an adjuvant in cancer therapy…