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Saturday, June 29, 2013

Oct. 2012 Missouri woodland hike—cinnabar polypore and more.

Hang in there, kids! Trudging forward, hike by hike, getting ever closer to the current luscious spring finds. At least we seem to be moving out of the “everything is brown” phase…

I’ll start with some nice bright colors to get your attention.

This is not lava. It is Pycnoporus cinnabarinus, “cinnabar polypore,” in progress on a dead lichen-covered branch before it emerges into its shelf-like mature form.

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus crack in lichen
Below is another view, the end of the same branch, with some shelving forming.

cinnabar polypore

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus staining log
Above, you can see how it’s infiltrated the wood and turned it this intense bright orange. A small mature fruitbody is lower down.

Below, what you typically see. In the background is the broken branch where I got a special peek at what it does to the interior of dead branches.

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus
Below, the pore surface of the mature shelf. It’s very orange.

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus front edge

And here is the entire underside in all its glory! Let me reiterate for the record that I do not tweak colors! This is the real deal! Put your sunglasses on!

Pycnoporus cinnabarinus pore surface entire

Whew!

There were a few hikes where I kept seeing these little cream-colored lumps on fallen trees and I couldn’t figure out what they were.

Trametes versicolor very young closeup 2

But then I saw everything all at once, and all was revealed!

Trametes versicolor long view on log

It’s good ol’ Trametes versicolor, turkey tail! Cream-colored lumps not in the frame, but they were on this log!

Trametes versicolor closeup

Fresh growths of T. versicolor can be very beautiful, rich and velvety in quite a range of colors. I sure hope one day I find out what causes the stripes.

skull



Someone’s skull (they are not using it anymore).

Maybe a fox.

skull articulation

The articulation is separating from weathering. This might be worth your while to click on to view large.

Mycena Mycena leaiana.
Always a pleasure to find these little orange lovelies. When they’re really fresh, and just after a rain, they are such a juicy translucent orange they remind me of Tang™.

Mycena leaeiana

If you find little orange mushrooms, one way you can tell if it’s these is the edge of the gills are orange, while the rest of the gill is much lighter.

Common name is—wait for it—“orange Mycena”!


Another one of those little Lycoperdon pulcherrimums. I love them.
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Well, that’s that.

2 comments:

  1. Wow, you take some great pictures! I love the Turkey Tails. Cool patterns.

    ReplyDelete