I give up. I've pored through websites and books until my eyes gave out, and I'm no closer to identifying my mushrooms than I was when I took the photos. There are too many choices, too many look-alikes, too many "needs microscopic examination" descriptions, too many missing details, because I didn't want to disturb their environment by digging them out, turning them over, breaking them off. They didn't see me coming; they didn't notice when I left.
It doesn't matter. What, to me, is important about these mushrooms is that they are beautiful. So here's the lot. (For size, compare the bits of moss and the evergreen needles, about 1 to 1.5 inches long.)
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| Very small, gilled mushrooms, growing on mossy rocks under Douglas fir. |
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| This one's cap has the texture of an orange peel. With haircap moss. |
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| Definitely pink, and moist. The green branches are another moss. |
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| A deeply textured cap. The cone behind it is Douglas fir. |
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| A slightly larger 'shroom, with gills and a stem ring. And two kinds of moss. |
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| These are so perfect and delicate, that I didn't even want to breathe deeply near them. |
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| So smooth! |
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| A group of larger mushrooms, pushing their way up through the moss blanket. |
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| Interesting patterns on another emerging mushroom. |
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| And a couple of tiny flies. The flies seem to like these moister mushrooms. |
I thought the
strange, twisty mushrooms I posted the other day would be easy to identify, but I can't find any like them. Here's another photo, showing their progression from "normal" to just plain weird.
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| The young ones have a round, smooth cap, and that furrowed stem, (bottom right), but as they age they twist and contort until they barely look like mushrooms at all. (upper left) |
The weather is about to change. Environment Canada promises me about 6 hours of off-and-on sunshine tomorrow, then two weeks of mostly rain, with some snow. It's time to explore a bit closer to home. My critters in the tank, the museum at the end of my street, a spider tending her eggs in a jar, assorted beetles and grubs in the garden under my window, stormy seas from the car window; that sort of thing. I'm looking forward to it!
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ReplyDeleteWonderful pictures, even without names. I got lucky and acquired a follower on Flickr who likes to ID my mushrooms; he gets about half of them for me. Nevertheless, I only know about 4 myself.
ReplyDeleteLots of very interesting mushrooms!
ReplyDeleteHygrocybe psittacina;
ReplyDeletecheck out Parrot Toadstool for your first picture
Upupaepops. Yes, that could be it, although I didn't see any with more green, which the younger ones would have. There are quite a few very similar, related mushrooms, too.
ReplyDeletethe one I met was during a Land Trust clean-up. I was rooting around under Big-leaf Maple leaves for the base of an English Ivy. The tiny green Parrot was well hidden. The green was striking . The translucent quality of your sample and the bold gill structure is what made me think of the parrot.
ReplyDeleteI am loving getting to know your new home
This post reminds me so much of the four years Roger and I spent on the Olympic Peninsula. The mushrooms were everywhere-- colorful, delicate, beautiful, and intriguing.
ReplyDelete