macro trip into fungi world - 18 fotos

Hola, setero! Today I've been digging through the archives a bit and since it's Friday, I thought it would be a good idea to share some mushroom photos. I have not had the opportunity to photograph fungi for a while, I simply have no fresh photos (ofc fungi can grow in winter, but lets agree this still cannot be called the peak of the season )))).

So, today I present old photos; everything you see in this post was captured in the summer of 2022, mostly with my Sigma 150mm lens. I will start from good edible Redhead Boleto...

...which is hiding around the wilted May Lily leaves.

Would you be able to notice such a mushroom from a distance of a meter or more? I doubt of that, thats a perfect mimicry, isnt it?

Little baby popped up (same Redhead Boleto, just a very tiny).

---

This one I am not 100% sure of, but probably it is sort of a britlegill - who could not grow its cap and develop fully. Perhaps some mushroom lover - a snail or a slug - "cut it off on takeoff" :)

If everything would go well, it could develop into such a handsome fellow with a red cap. But... shit happens :) I even could say, it happens inevitably ;)

---

And now few more weird inedibles as a bonus, to entertain you.

---

At same location and, literally, on the same log, I discovered the coral fungus that is commonly called crown coral or crown-tipped coral fungus (Latin name is Artomyces pyxidatus). It developed into much bigger and more fascinating colonies.

Older colonies have a less attractive appearance - as you can see, the edges of the branches have already begun to dry out.

This mushroom is best photo-friendly in the middle of its life cycle (by the way: this is an edible mushroom! which sounds oddly enough...) and young specimens with more tender flesh suit better for foraging.

---

This one I identified as Amanita virosa, or white toadstool -- it is a deadly poisonous mushroom from the genus Amanita.

---

Tinder fungus of some sort... I respect inedible mushrooms too! I spent about 10-15 minutes around this certain edition, trying different angles, approaches, trying to "squeeze out" a beautiful visuals of it - it just happened to grew up at a dark spot without a single ray of sunlight, and this is a fat minus for photography ... but its random whimsical curved patterns were just flawless and irresistible -> was hard for me to tear myself away from it and move on.

Same fungus, just different angle -- now who will say it is not cute? Looks like it's holding me out his hand / fingers!

---

Daedalia quercina, or oak mazegill - non toxic but absolutely non forageble fungus. Is it useless? Probably yes... until you can simply enjoy its existance, its patterns. I dont think mother nature create useless stuff, as she is a skilled and experienced jewelry master.

---

A 'crying' fungus. And no, that is nor dewdrops, neither it was captured after rain: the moisture is its own. For those, who ever notice and question themselves what it is: some fungi used to get rid of excess moisture accumulated in their fruiting body, the process is called "guttation". Low light, high humidity promote guttation, and it is very common for many plants of tropical rainforests, including orchids, and sometimes observed in trees as well.

---

Have absolutely no idea what is this one. But that's doesnt matter much for successfull low-key photography 🙃

Made the capture at this mossy spot -- lightning was ideal for low-key. And a great massive trunk, spotted with orange caps here and there... yummy!

If only I made this capture from a different angle, turning it around by 180 degrees ... then I would share it under #iseefaces tag. Really: do you see here the surprised-outraged-displeased screaming face as clearly as I see it? 😂 Ok, let me finish today's excursion on this note. Thank you for walking with me, hope you enjoyed the fungi macro trip!

A little advertisement: in Fungi Lovers community share your foraging stories and trophies, photos and recipes, identification questions, contemplations and ideas. If you are not sure about correct ID (which allows us to find out more about certain fungus), no problem, feel no fear - fungi are full of weird alien charm we can adore even nameless. We appreciate them not only for their cooking values!

_{This header was created by @riverflows}