June 29, 2010

A Walk in the Woods: Mushroom Update



Three weeks ago I found some gorgeous varnished mushrooms growing on tree stumps in the woods, which I wrote about here. I thought some of you might be interested, as I am, to see how they've grown since then. The funny bulbous forms above...



have grown into wavy, fan-shaped mushrooms (except for one, which remains a club shape so far) whose deep golden red varnish warms and lightens to a golden ochre. At the edge is a warm white which makes me think of vanilla ice cream emerging through the caramel sauce of an ice cream sundae.




These mushrooms squeezing out from the bark of a stump have also filled out:



and are now the characteristic broad shape. The convoluted, puckery surface of the top mushroom seems to tell a story of pushing and pulling to get to where it is; this is a mushroom of great character.


4 comments:

  1. Thanks for the update. Just fascinating to see how these transform themselves. So often we just see one stage — in reality or on the Web —so this is particularly valuable to discover what comes next.

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  2. Mushrooms always amaze me, Linda, in the way they grow and change. It's hard to think of any vegetable whose form shifts so much while growing.

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  3. This looks like a reishi! A bringer of good luck and good health! extracts show anti-cancer, anti-tumor, and immuno-boosting properties.

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    1. I wonder if it is, James. I won't taste mushroom that I'm not sure of, and I've always known this as a varnished shelf mushroom.

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