Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: Mushroom to Add

I found this mushroom growing in our large meadow near the edge of the hillside. I was stepping through the dried stalks of Teasel that form an impressive line near the edge of our hillside, when I noticed something yellow growing in the decaying plant matter. A YELLOW mushroom!!!! WOO HOO!! I found another one as well, which I posted a month or so ago. This one looks like a skinny 60's-era kid with straight blond hair with a perfect Beatle's hair style! :D This image was taken in April, 2012.

Steve and I went to a lovely Mill Creek Falls trail near the small town of Prospect, Oregon, a month or so ago, and had a wonderful time taking pictures. There were so many mushrooms to take pictures of, we could hardly believe it! While wandering around, I looked down and found this tiny, odd little fungus cup and many more like it all around. How odd and interesting they are, don't you agree? This little guy measures about 1/2" in diameter. If you would like to know more about this cool fungus, I found a nice source on the Mushroom Expert: Cup Fungus

I discovered this lovely pale mushroom one day on the way back to my house after taking a walk along our ridgetop. It was hiding under some branches and twigs but was so pretty that I was happy to take the time to clean up the area for a pretty picture!

Isn't this strange looking?!! I really had no idea there were so many odd-looking mushrooms and other fungus until I started taking a serious interest in macro photography. This pair was found growing on some rotting pine tree matter in the forest around Mill Creek Falls near Prospect, Oregon. It can be difficult to get good pictures of some of the fungi that I find, because it often grows in places that are impossible for me to get into. Or I'm forced to dig holes or stand on my head to get the shot! :D This isn't perfect, but you can see the wonderful transparent quality and the cool texture all over it! Although I've never seen this before, Toothed Jelly Fungus is supposedly common, found in the Pacific Northwest from Alaska to California. Believe it or not, this mushroom is edible, though it's said to be bland in flavor. It's often candied or marinated before eating. Candied? Really? *wrinkles nose* No thank you!! I prefer to leave my weird and wonderful fungi right where I found them: growing happily in the forest! :)

A couple of months ago I looked out one of our windows and saw something round and white nestled on the ground. Squeaking in excitement, I grabbed my camera and bounced out the door because there was only one thing it could be!! Zooming around the side of the house, I came screeching to a halt in front of exactly what I thought: a puffball!! YAY!! Talk about a weird fungus. These things look like a mushroom golfball, with no stem. They get their name for the cloud of brown spores that are emitted when the skin eventually dries enough to split and break open. Some young puffballs are edible and tender enough to eat, but others are poisonous. The best advice is to not eat them unless you're positive of the species. There are a few species of puffballs that have stalks, and also closely related to puffballs are earthstars , which grow on our property! Finally, in Tibet, puffballs were once as a source of ink by burning them, grinding the ash into a powder, adding water and a glue-like liquid to make a black ink! How cool is that?! :) If you would like to know more about puffballs, Wiki has a great page with some cool pictures here: Wiki: Puffball

Steve and I went to Mill Creek Falls, near Prospect, Oregon a couple of months ago and hoped we would find mushrooms to photograph. We sure did!! While looking around stumps and on the conifer forest floor, I spotted this tiny pair, which seem to be tilting their heads at me and wondering just what kind of mushroom I am! :)

Another really cool find at the Mill Creek Falls trail, Steve and I found this shelf fungus and many more like it attached to the sides and ends of countless logs. Some were found 20 feet up on the sides of trunks! I think this fungus looks like coral that I've seen while scuba diving! It measures about 1 foot in diameter! Shelf fungus comes in many varieties and is found all over the world. It's too tough and leathery to eat, but some have used shelf fungus for artwork ! It can also be ground up and used in medicinal teas. If you would like to know more about this shelf fungus, I found a super page here: Herbarium Fun Facts: Shelf Fungi

What a surprise to find a visitor from afar! Apparently this lovely little mushroom saw my pictures and came for a visit and asked to be photographed so it could be added to my collection! I was very happy to oblige! :)

(Please scroll down to see 4 more pictures! :D) Some time ago, Steve and I went to a trail near Prospect, Oregon. It was a lush, moist conifer forest with deep shade and lots of places for mushrooms and interesting fungus to grow! Steve and I had a wonderful time taking pictures of fungus there, and I've only posted a couple of other picture from that trip, so if you like my mushroom pictures, you'll be in for a treat! I have dozens to share!! I've been holding off on my mushroom shots because it seems odd to post pictures that are out of season here. Of course the season is just right somewhere in the world, but it just doesn't feel right when it's hot and sunny! Here in southern Oregon, it's beginning to cool down at night, though it's still hot during the day. This will change soon though...AUTUMN IS ON ITS WAY!!! I can't tell you how excited I am to take a full series of fall pictures with my new camera! This dew-laden shelf fungus is in a group of fungi that comes in many varieties, sizes, shapes and colors. It is found all over the world in moist environments. Although it's too tough and leathery to eat, some have used shelf fungus for artwork ! It can also be ground up and used in medicinal teas. If you would like to know more about this shelf fungus, I found a super page here: Herbarium Fun Facts: Shelf Fungi

This is a pair of mushroom pictures I took a while ago. I found this tiny mushroom under a log, and the action of lifting the log freed the mushroom from where it was growing. I picked it up and took a picture of it, and then I tucked it back into a patch of moss and took another picture. I wanted to show the scale of this adorable little fungi, and I also wanted to show a view from under its cap. Putting the two images together was a nice way to show this mushroom from above and below at the same time! :)