Saturday, December 05, 2009

Fungus Amungus

Having grown up in a desert environment, I still find it astounding that, at the first sign of a good rainy day around here, mushrooms pop, full-blown right out of the ground. Seems like everywhere I have gone this fall I have taken pictures of mushrooms.

I was quite charmed by these specimens with the fringe-y edges.





This one looks like the ones you buy in the grocery store.

This is a monster thing growing out in the front yard. The more it has rained the slimier it looks. This was taken when it was still in pretty good shape.

My 1975 block print is of shaggy mane mushrooms that grow in Idaho. I have eaten these. They are quite safe to pick and eat since there is no poisonous variety that looks enough like it to confuse the two. I once made an etching of a mushroom too. I don't know if I still have any of those prints anywhere. Maybe it is time for a fabric rendition. They are awfully good subjects, I think.

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5 comments:

  1. Kristin L12:09 PM

    I like the fringy ones too, and you know I'll egg you on if you want to make a fabric version of your shroomy print!!

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  2. Barbara7:14 PM

    I think mushrooms are fascinating. I wish I knew which ones were edible.

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  3. Mary Lou Weidman11:12 PM

    Oh my goodness in the world of creativity I can think of so many things from these wonderful photos!This should be a quilting/creativity contest for sure! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. laura cater-woods7:05 AM

    Have you ever done spore prints?
    Take the cap from the mushroom, set it (top up) on a piece of white paper, cover with a glass.
    After 24 hours or so the mushroom will have deposited spore on the paper. You can successfully identify the critter. Essential if you want to be certain of wild species.
    More to the point: The spore prints are beautiful! Subtle oclor, incredible pattern.
    Can this be done on cloth? I've tried - not had much success,. I think a very dense weave is required, and then a means of "fixing" the surface.

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  5. Carla2:09 PM

    One of the things that blew my mind when we lived in Crescent City was abundance of fungi in particular ones that were really white with red tops and either black or white dots. I had only imagined such beings. We had all manner of the same things you show. I was especially blown away by how huge they could get. I also remember having to remove many a dead bird who had dined on some of the morsels, became drunk and smashed repeatedly into the windows.

    Besides the adjustment this dessert girl had to make, the beauty of all of that was/is that in the earlies days of Spring this spots are where the incredibly beautiful trillium will often appear.

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