October 25, 2009

A Walk in the Woods: Mushrooms



Mushrooms are a marvel in their diversity of color and shape and size. This beautiful grouping was growing on the stump of a tree. Its subtly variegated bands of color create an outwardly flowing pattern, as though seen undulating under water. I'm unable to name these mushrooms, not being a mycologist, or naturalist of any sort. Perhaps a knowledgeable reader can name them for us. Why is it so satisfying to learn the name of an unknown species? do we somehow feel we then have a more perfect understanding?

4 comments:

  1. Yup -- these are a sort of polypore, Turkey Tails, Trametes versicolor, and a lovely cluster of them, too.
    They grow surprisingly fast. They are slightly iridescent, or maybe it's the way the nap catches the light differently when you tilt your head -- under the scope breathtaking.

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  2. thanks, Susan. What a perfect name for them. Now that I know the name, I was able to find them in my mushroom book.

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  3. I like naming, too. At the very least, lets us talk about the same things together (absent a picture).

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