Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: cups

Many times that I post a photo of a mushroom or other fungus, the ID is always tentative. I am guessing that this very tiny, turquoise fungus is Blue Stain / Chlorociboria aeruginascens. I have only ever seen these tiny mushrooms maybe three times, though I have seen just the blue stain on wood more often. I will add a better, previously posted photo, taken a few years ago, in a comment box below. If my ID is correct, then the following information applies. "The stained wood is more frequently encountered, but the tiny mushrooms are seldom seen. Saprobic (i.e.mushrooms that are saprobes survive by decomposing dead or decaying organic material) on well decayed, barkless hardwood logs and sticks (especially those of oaks; "green oak" is valuable lumber); evident as green-stained wood year-round, but the fruiting bodies typically appearing in summer and fall; widely distributed in North America. The fruiting body is cup-shaped at first, becoming flattened or disc-shaped; up to 1 cm across; with a tiny stem that may be central or somewhat off-center; smooth or slightly wrinkled; uniformly blue-green." www.mushroomexpert.com/chlorociboria_aeruginascens.html On 3 September 2016, we had a fungi morning, which was quite rewarding and definitely fun. Our leader and friend, Karel, is very knowledgeable about fungi and he took 14 of us (plus Karel's two beautiful Beagles) on a foray to West Bragg Creek, maybe an hour's drive west of the city. We had been here a few times over the years, either looking for fungi or on botany outings. Photographing our findings usually means that I am way at the back of the group or have fallen back with a friend or two. Consequently, the mushrooms have often already been plucked/cut by the time we catch up to the rest of the participants. I also miss a lot of what is being said about IDs and details. It would take far too long to write down the name of each find - each photo taken would have to be carefully numbered so that the right name could be attached and this would be such a hassle when out with a group. Since this outing, Karel has sent an email containing several photos along with IDs. The rest of my photos will have to be just nameless 'pretty pictures' : ) I must add here that any IDs that I give are always tentative, as I know so little about fungi. Another thing to add is that I never, ever pick and eat wild mushrooms!! Too many look similar, some edible, others poisonous. If you are not a fungi expert, never take the risk of eating any of them. I met up with friend, Sandy, at 8:15 am and she drove us out to the meeting place. My drive from home was done with my windshield wipers on my new car working non-stop - was it raining? No, it had rained the day before - hail, too, on my gleaming new vehicle that I had only had for five days! I needed to clean the windshield, but, once again, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to turn the wipers off. Amazes me how complicated the wiper options are! Our morning walk started off by going across the small bridge not far from the parking lot, then part way up the hill and then bush-whacking our way through the forest. This walk, which ended around lunch time, was the main one, but we did stop at a small, gravel parking area a few minutes along the main road, to do a second walk to check for any different mushrooms. This extra walk has yielded a few beauties in past years. Perhaps the most interesting find was a very small twig that had several tiny, turquoise coloured fungi cups on it. The colour looks so out of place in a natural area. My photos of them did not turn out very well, but I will eventually post one of them, just for the very unusual colour. From here, a few of us stopped at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek for lunch. Always a most enjoyable way to finish any outing. Before we climbed into the car for our return drive to Calgary, Sandy and I wandered into the beautiful Art Gallery, owned and run by Bob and Candy Cook. Named Branded Visuals Inc.(Printing Services/Wildlife Gallery), this small store is overflowing with Bob's absolutely amazing photographic works of art. Thanks so much, Bob and Candy, for remembering our chance meeting a number of years ago, down in Fish Creek Park, and for your overly generous words about my own photography. www.brandedvisuals.com/index.html Thanks so much, Karel, for giving us a great morning! We really appreciate your passing on your knowledge to us. The same thanks go to Suzanne, the mushroom specialist in Calgary. Sandy, really appreciate the ride there and back!

A closer look at the tiny world of Cladonia lichen. These little stalks were maybe half an inch in height : ) No idea how many different species of Cladonia grow in Alberta, but I'm not going to even try to give an ID to the one shown in this image. We found these on one of our stops along Highway 40, in Kananaskis. There were lots of very tiny mushrooms nearby, growing on the droppings/scat of some large animal. What is a Lichen? "Lichens are amazing living entities, in that they are not a single organism like plants, animals or fungi. Instead every single lichen is the result of two or more separate organisms living permanently together. All lichens are made up of a fungal partner and either/or an algal partner or a cyanobacterium partner, or both. Lichens first appeared about 400 million years ago so they have been around for a long time. Some individual species such as Hypogymnia physodes have been around for at least 25 million years and maybe for as long as 70 million years. Obviously the lichen symbiosis is a successful strategy.... For many ecologists lichens are an accurate monitor of quality of the air in any given place.... Lichens are useful as food, medicine, for making dyes, in perfume manufacture, as decorations and in science." From www.earthlife.net/lichens/intro.html

An exciting moment two days ago, when I was with a couple of friends at the Perrenoud Wildlife Habitat Area, north west of the city. I had just been trying to photograph a teeny, orange slime mold - the kind that looks like tiny, shiny, orange "balls" on thin, white stalks. I bent over the log a couple of inches further and to my amazement, saw the tiniest splashes of brilliant turquoise - a totally unnatural looking colour in the forest : ). So small, but a macro shot gives you an idea of my find, even though it's far from sharp. Not sure if this is Chlorociboria aeruginascens / Blue Stain or something else. Microscopic examination is required in order to tell the difference. Doug, I know you said the name when we were there, but I can never remember any names by the time I get home. Help! www.mushroomexpert.com/chlorociboria_aeruginascens.html

Aren't these just the cutest little fungi "cups"? Not sure if this is "Orange Peel". Only small, and growing on the low stump of a cut-down tree in the middle of the very narrow trail in Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 5th August. A tremendous number of trees have been blown down by bad storms, which can make walking a little treacherous.