Flagstaff Part Two
Wood Ear
Photographing in the rain can definitely be challenging but my goal this trip was to document Fungi and I knew rain would mean they would be popping up like crazy in the wet forests!
My prediction about the rain being a good thing proved true so I wasn’t disappointed and, in fact, I had a few very exciting first time sightings! I will start with those. The first was Wood Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) – I could hardly believe my eyes!
Wood Ear (Auricularia auricula-judae)
The second exciting sighting was Pink Slime Mold! I’m fascinated by slime molds so I was especially excited about this find but wouldn’t you know; it started storming just as I found it! I was forced to go back to the car with plans to come back in the morning to photograph it again. Sadly, I couldn’t find it.
Pink Slime Mold in the shape of a heart 🙂
MORE SLIME MOLDS! This first composite shows a Slime Mold completely covering some grass. At first glance, I thought these might be eggs of some kind because I knew Slime Mold as a decomposer so I wasn’t expecting it to be on something living. However, my Mycology expert go-to, Erik Nelson, let me know they will get on living things too. Shiver!
Slime Mold on Grass
Four More Slime Mold Sightings!
4 Slime Molds
Slime Molds move as a group in search of food. Think about the movie The Blob. Their behavior is not much different! If they interest you too, check out this video: Why Study Slime Molds
(Because of the rain, I only photographed using my Smartphone, Canon Powershot N and my Canon Powershot SX50. Yes…I would have liked a little more detail in a few of the images but considering I also had to hold an umbrella, the tradeoffs were worth it.)
Stay Tuned for More Fungi in my next Post
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Oh Cool!!! I had no idea Slime Moulds came in such an amazing array of shapes and colours. I don’t think I have ever seen one, but the only photos I have seen have been the plain slimy looking one like in your last photo, top right. The one that looks like yellow eggs is just incredible! So pleased you found some interesting fungi.
Your seasons are so different from mine. I’m now in butterfly heaven like you were in the spring. Our fungi will come mostly in the autumn (so long as it rains).
I was just thinking about my G+ friends seasons! Australia is now in fall/winter, right? Such fun to see and be inspired by their seasonal photos so we full of ideas when we get to our next one 🙂 Thanks for commenting.