Mushroom Walk

It was the first mushroom I saw as I stepped into the woods.  It looked to me like it should be living underwater, a place for fish to hide in. I’ve never seen such a purple mushroom and one so unusual.

It was a sign of what to expect on my walk.

There were mushrooms everywhere, and so many varieties, I took over twenty photos of the most photogenic ones.

Some were so brightly colored they were impossible to miss.

Others blended in growing close to the forest floor.

Some were tiny mushrooms that grew so close together they created a mushroom carpet.

Others stood big and alone classic in their bearing.

Some were so unusual, I wasn’t sure they were even mushrooms.

The sun lit the way. It lit up mushrooms as I walked as if turning a spotlight on them, pointing them out to me.

This one, conical and luscious held water like an offering.

 

I focused on their stems as well as their caps. This one had a ruffled collar and a moire skirt.

The End.

 

 

 

35 thoughts on “Mushroom Walk

  1. Wow Maria, your photography just blows me away. It is remarkable in its clarity and inensity. But the love and respect that you have for nature infuses each photo. Thank you for taking me with you on this wondrous walk!

  2. Best pictures ever, thank you thank you. Fungi are amazing and then some more amazing.

    With all the rain and then heat they must be going crazy.

  3. What a lovely mushroom tour! I had no idea there were that many varieties and colors. You and Jon are making me wake up more to nature. Thank you! (You’re good with a camera, too.)

  4. Wow! I know there are a lot fo books about mushrooms out there now, but I recommend Anna Tsing’s The Mushroom at the End of the World.

  5. I love your mushroom pictures and need to get a book about them. Your woods have such variety! Your pictures look like an underwater reef, they are so realistic looking! Beautiful.

  6. Maria,
    These photos of the mushrooms are absolutely extraordinary. Wow. Every single one of them.
    Blessings,
    Wendy

  7. WOW! It must be due to all the rain we’ve been having. (I’m across the Lake from you on the western facing slopes of VT’s Green Mountains and it’s spongy when we walk around the yard.) The purple fungi looks as though it belongs in an aquarium.

    1. With the help of my friend Suzy, I found out the name of that one Marcia It’s an Amethyst Coral Fungi. We’re not the only ones who think it looks like it belongs underwater!:)

  8. Wow! beautiful array of shapes and colors and lovely photos. Do you ever see mushrooms featuring in your art?

  9. The variety of mushrooms in your woods is amazing! I could happily spend the day trying to identify them all. You must have had some rain recently to make them pop up. Thanks for the great photos!

    1. It has not stopped raining Barbara. A farmer told me it only didn’t rain two days in July. It doesn’t rain all day, but it’s beginning to feel tropical.

  10. This could be a movie set for Alice in Wonderland. “I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed a few times since then.”

  11. It might have been you who made me aware of this book, if so, it has come full circle. If not, you might be interested in it.
    “Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures” by by Merlin Sheldrake. I think BBC also made a program about fungi and just how big a part of our lives it is but I can’t find it right now. I’ll let you know if I come across it.

    1. It wasn’t me KJ, but it does sound familiar. And I did see the movie Fantastic Fungi, but that’s different from the BBC program. I’ll look for it too. Thanks for the info.

  12. Wow!
    Absolutely fabulous Maria…
    So beautiful, so impressive! Nature is awesome.
    Thanks so much for sharing,
    ☺️Wendy

  13. so glad to make the acquaintance of the Amethyst Coral Fungi. Sent out that pic to a few people for ID,
    no quick response so thank you Suzy. Maria, all the photos are special. They are especially meaningful because I can’t be out there looking myself, lots of work problems to resolve.

    1. I hope your work life gets easier Sharon so you can get outside some more. It’s always good to know that the photos are appreciated. 🙂

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