Fall hike

Orange jelly spot

HORROR WEEK- FOTD #146 : purple jellydisc! (ascocoryne sarcoides)

the purple jellydisc (also jelly drops) is a jelly fungus in the family helotiaceae :-) it was picked for horror week due to its gross, brain-like appearance !! this fungus is saprotrophic, & plays a very important role in the process of tree decay. so far, it has been recorded in finland, france, great britain, germany, norway, chile, australia, china, cuba, iceland, taiwan, hawaii & korea. a fun fact is that this fungus can reproduce both sexually & asexually !!

the big question : will it kill me?? nah, but it's not considered edible either.

a. sarcoides description :

"this fungus is characterized by a fruiting body (technically an apothecium) with a pinkish-purple colour & more or less gelatinous consistency. the apothecia, typically 0.5 to 1.5 centimetres (1⁄4 to 5⁄8 in) in diameter, start with a roughly spherical shape, then eventually flatten out to become shallowly cup-shaped with a wavy edge and smooth upper surface. the lower surface may be covered with small particles (granular), & the apothecia are either attached directly to the growing surface (sessile), or have a rudimentary stem. the apothecia are accompanied by a conidial form, where non-sexual spores are generated. the conidial form consists of sporodochia, a cushion-like asexual fruiting body mass consisting of short conidiophores (specialized stalks that bear conidia). the sporodochia are similar in colour & consistency to the apothecia but very variable in shape, typically club-, spoon-, or tongue-shaped, & bearing minute, cylindrical, straight or curved conidia. as the fungus matures & the apothecia enlarge & press against each other, the apothecia coalesce to form a gelatinous, irregular mass. the flesh, similar to the appearance of the fungus, is pinkish-purple & gelatinous."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]

Orange witch's butter 》 Dacrymyces chrysospermus

The biggest flush of witch's butter this branch has produced yet! The bit of rain we got this morning has worked its wonders, I'll have plenty more to share.

🔊 Sound on for the video. ;)

Southeast Texas, 24 Dec. 2023

fungi i spotted recently :)

Witch's Butter, a jelly fungus found on dead or dying trees. It pops up during the winter in the PNW. These fungus species parasitizes the mycelia of wood-rotting fungus. Meaning Witch's Butter doesn't kill trees, but it is a sign of wood rotting.

Witch's butter is featured in a lot of Chinese dishes. Mainly mushroom or fish soups. Witch's Butter can also be candied like many other shrooms. I haven't tried them yet, but I definitely want to.

Yellow brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica) on Silver Birch

Photo by Guy Edwardes

Oh how I love the woods after a good rain

For the mycophiles: a selection of Appalachia’s early spring fungi. Forgive me if I get any of these wrong, because I’m still learning how to identify all the wonderful fungi that grow in the woods around here. Incidentally, my go-to mycological bible is Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians, by William Roody. Maybe someday I can absorb just a fraction of the knowledge contained in this wonderful guide and become something more than a stumbling amateur.

From top: turkey tail (Trametes versicolor); a delicate Mycena, either nitrous bonnet (M. leptocephala) or stump fairy bonnet (M. alcalina); gilled polypore (Trametes betulina); witches’ butter (Tremella mesenterica), a lovely and unusual jelly fungus; and pinwheel mushroom (Marasmius rotula).

From the fullness of Fruiting Fungus flourishing fabulously in the facilities...

Jelly roll… and I’m not talking about the singer.

FOTD #097 : warlock's butter! (exidia nigricans)

warlock's butter is a jelly fungus in the family auriculariaceae :-) it is a common wood rot & grows throughout the northern hemisphere, mostly on dead branches of broadleaf trees.

the big question : can i bite it?? i couldn't find an answer, but it is closely related to some edible fungi.

e. nigricans description :

"exidia nigricans forms dark sepia to blackish, rubbery-gelatinous fruit bodies that are button-shaped & around 2 cm (0.79 in) across. the fruitbodies occur in clusters & quickly coalesce to form effused, irregular masses 10 cm (3.9 in) or more across. the upper, spore-bearing surface is shiny & dotted with small pimples or pegs. the individual fruitbodies are each attached to the wood at the base."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]

More Witches' butter! 》 Dacrymyces chrysospermus

Some properly squishy, jelly orange witches' butter thanks to the rain. 🧡 This stuff is very fun to interact with.

Southeast Texas, 10 Nov. 2023

Jelly? || Southern Oregon