#leratiomyces

Melbourne, Vic

A really great example of saprophytic fungi! AKA one that grows by consuming decaying organic material...as you can see, this mushroom is growing straight from oak leaf litter. Mushrooms are typically either in three main ecological categories: saprophytic, mycorrhizal, or parasitic.

These roundheads were looking far slicker than you’d usually expect after a night of rain, still pooling in their uneven caps. It also served to wash off most of the white veil fragments, though you can still see a few scraps clinging to the edge of the caps. They would have dried to a far duller brick-red, which is especially attractive as their gills start to darken brownish-purple as the spores mature and release. These pretty fungi are mildly poisonous, and will cause an upset stomach if eaten.

Leratiomyces, Booyong, New South Wales. Photo by Steve Axford.

My submission for the 2018 @objectheadzine! Check it out!

9 October 2022

30 July 2022