Sunday, July 1, 2012

Flowers, Fungi and Ferns - Oh My!

Update July 2: I did a little further digging (so to speak) and came up with an identification of the mystery fungus below. It would appear that it's Xylaria polymorpha (Dead Man's Fingers). It has the ability to morph into different appearances, so that is probably why I didn't locate what I'd expected to see a few days later. Thank you Tammie Lee for attempting to provide a solution. That prompted me to look into the coral fungi where I eventually found what I was looking for.

Most of these photos were taken at least a few weeks ago. They're what seems to be left over on my hard drive and just happened to work out with a flower, fungi and fern theme.



apple blossoms
Apple blossoms at the height of spring.






shroom2
Doesn't this looks like a beautifully-sculpted bowl?






illuminated fern
This area is deep inside a well-shaded cedar grove. In the morning, one single shaft of light beamed through to illuminate this fern.






behind a sunny flower
This is the view behind a sunlit flower. It almost looks as if a wee faerie could take up residence here.






shroom
Or perhaps right here.






fern with flower
Late day sunshine bathes a field of ferns. Magenta phlox punctuates the picture nicely.





flower in a fence
A solitary flower, which looks a lot like the wild chicory I see a bit later in the season - except it's not blue. It's doing its best to grow toward the sunlight through the chain link fence.






fungus disc
This triple capped mushrooms could almost pass for a plate of sloppy pancakes. There's more interesting green fungus all down the right hand side of the stump. And just below that, we noticed a most unusual fungus - something I've never seen before...





strange fungus
Tubular, metallic silver and teal. Frank and I both got busy snapping photos of this one. Notice how some of the tips appear to be either two blips blending into one or one beginning to separate into two? I'm betting it's the latter. If anyone has any idea what this is, please let me know (Leah? Maybe your Mike knows?). It was gone without a trace when I went back to look for it just a few days later.
Further Google sleuthing has identified the fungus for me. Eerily enough, they're called Dead Man's Fingers or by the Latin name Xylario Polymorpha. Here's my source.






yellow iris
A pretty yellow iris looking like sunshine itself.






blossom center
And just a tiny bit more yellow in the middle of this spring blossom.

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians!

58 comments:

stephen Hayes said...

Love the picture of the yellow flower poking through the fence. It looks beautiful and defiant.

Sarah Anne said...

I also love the flower and the fence. So striking.

That fungi sure is strange looking! I've never seen anything like it, either!

Nadezda said...

Hilary, all your photos of mushrooms are unusual and interesting. It's other view!

Nadezda said...

Happy Canada Day!

Anonymous said...

Happy CanAda Day! That teal and silver looks like a fungi??? But no clue what kind. It's pretty neat though.

Robin said...

Blown away by your pics today - you take the most amazing nature photos, Hilary

Gary's third pottery blog said...

oh I love the apple blossoms too, and always iris: but aren't the yellow ones amazing? :)

June said...

Each of these photos is a whole story unto itself. I ALWAYS think "fairies and elves" when I see those sun spotlights in greeny glades!
The mystery fungus is just beautiful . . . looks outer-spacey.

Brian Miller said...

omg you got some incredible shots hilary...the tubular metallic is fascinating....the bowl...i love the flower in the fence though...so cool...

Out on the prairie said...

The tubular fingus is real interesting.Looks like a display of celluar reproduction.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Stunning photos. You have such a keen eye for beauty in unexpected places.I love that.

messymimi said...

And i thought i didn't like pictures of fungi. These are amazing.

Indrani said...

Each shot equals a chapter. Great captures.

DJan said...

Gasp! What IS that strange tubular thing? All your pictures are wonderful, but that looks like something from another world. Thanks for the eye openers!

ds said...

That silver and teal fungus is amazing--what a wonderful eye you have. Thanks for sharing your lovely spring.

ellen abbott said...

Hilary, you continue to delight and inspire me with your eye and perspective. Love them all but that tubular fungus is so unique.

Mental P Mama said...

Now I am so curious about that tubular fungi!!

Frank Baron said...

Very nice Hil...but when you said you were gonna post fun guy pictures, I thought this one would be about me....

Rita said...

Flowers always seem to make me smile, ferns give an immediate sense of peace...fungi...curiosity. And I have never seen anything like that strange species you found! You take such wonderful pictures. I can hardly wait to see what you show us next. :)

Liz Mays said...

I just love how you are able to capture so much texture with your lens. And that tubular one is just so incredibly interesting!

Daryl said...

consensus is its fungi .. pretty too bad it disappeared .. did either of you touch it? what was the texture?

Happy Canada Day!

Maggie May said...

The fungi & the flowers were beautiful but the thing that got my imagination this time was the lone flower looking through the link fencing. Its as if it was breaking out of prison!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Such beautiful images, my friend. The yellow flower in the chain link fence made such a stunning picture. That yellow iris is stunning, too.

Tammie Lee said...

hello Hilary,

all your images are Gorgeous!
I got stuck on your mystery fungus, as i have never see it and i love mushrooms. I pulled out and book, the googled and you might have found: Clavaria Purpurea, Purple Fairy Cub!
seems that it is edible and medicinal and so it makes sense that it disappeared. I would have loved to see follow up photos of it.

SandyCarlson said...

You are a marvel! I love the light on the fern.

Barb said...

Obviously, that teal fungus was deposited by aliens from Mars I think that yellow flower is Salsify. The fern photos are just fabulous, Hilary.

Mimi said...

I'm glad you got to capture that unusual mushroom before it disappeared- have never seen anything like it, it reminds me a little of some two-toned chocolate thing we used to buy!
And I love the yellow flower growing through the iron fence, undeterred!

Rob-bear said...

Ah, Hillary; a few fine fotos for Canada Day, eh? Superb!

Red said...

There's much to know about fungus and ferns. thanks for the excellent photos . To often we just pass these by and ignore them.

Gail Dixon said...

Every time you post I know I'm in for lots of eye candy. Love the flora and all the different fungi. Wish I could help you ID the one that's tubular with the strange tips. Looks groovy, man. The pancakes are cool--that was my first thought when I saw the pic. Three flapjacks sittin' on a log. Hope you had a nice weekend! Happy Canada Day also!!

Leah J. Utas said...

Love the fungi. All of them. They have so much character. Glad the mystery was solved. I would have said space aliens myself.

Glo said...

Fabulously fantastic ferns, flowers and fungi ~ each and every one. Happy Canada Day :)

Slamdunk said...

well done Hilary. the metallic shot has an out-of-this-world feel to it--like something out of a Ray Bradbury novel.

i hope your summer is going well.

Dan said...

There all great for assorted reasons. I'm partial to the ferns though.

Happy Canada Day to you and what's his name! ;-)

suz said...

A day late, but Happy Canada Day to you and all the other Canadians from a neighbor to the south. Loved the pictures. Like many others, the lone yellow flower pushing through the fence was a favorite. Thanks for sharing. - Karen

NitWit1 said...

Lovethe F Theme andthat last shot of the fungi on the stump is mysterious. We have several dead stumps and I always watch them for fungus growth. Most are similar to each other, but that on is stupendous. Did you ever find a name for it?

Sharon Wagner said...

I've never seen metallic shrooms like that. You were very busy with all those great shots this week.

Lynne with an e said...

A collection of lovely, intimate shots; love the contrasting lights and darks and up-close views. My fave is the delicate beauty of the last photo. It beautiful delicacy is emphasized by your focus on the golden stamen. Just gorgeous!

But those weird black/silver olive-shaped fungi just creep me out. I think you may have got pix of the aliens amongst us, hatching.

CiCi said...

Only a true artist would know to get a photo from the back of a flower. Really nice photos.

Suldog said...

Happy Canada Day, Hilary! And many, many, many more for your wonderful country!

Midlife Roadtripper said...

Happy Canada Day to you! As always, so enjoyed these photos. I just look and look at them.

The iris, the mushrooms. I so wish I had your skill and eye with a camera. or the eye to notice such beauty as I walk around.

Reena said...

All your photos are great but I'm crushin' on that single shaft of light upon the fern! Hope your week is getting off to a great start H!

Gillian Olson said...

Beautiful, love the yellow iris best. The funghi are all interesting but the last one is very odd looking.

Zuzana said...

Happy Canada day dear friend, even tough a bit delayed.;) Did I tell you that P is Canadian? Yes, yes he was born in Canada, and lived there for the first year of his life.;))
Love all your images, what an incredible set of interesting lifeforms, some familiar, some not at all.;)
Have a lovely week dear friend,
xoxo

yaya said...

Beautiful pics as usual but I love the fungi ones! My DIL's sister's husband (are you still with me?) has a doctorate in fungus. I'll have to forward your site so he can tell me what that is. Tomorrow at work I'm suppose to bring something in to celebrate Canada Day because one of our nurses is Canadian. I'm trying to decide on bacon or syrup...or beer.

Scott Law said...

I like your unique angles and lighting on many of these. Those metallic silver ????s were particularly interesting.

Fragrant Liar said...

Wow, the tubular ones look like drawings instead of photos. Those are amazing.

Great shots!

Dave said...

An interesting selection of flowers, fungi and ferns Hilary. I liked the single fern leaf lit up by a sunbeam. I also like the fungi photos - Dave

Cloudia said...

So glorious! Your fern out-glows any I've been able to show. . . . . Benny looks like he feels my pain.
It's a good ache :-)




Have a GREAT Week!

Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
> < } } ( ° >

Anvilcloud said...

All of your photography is good, but macro (or at least close) is your thing IMHO.

Bob Bushell said...

Wowee, aren't they beautiful, all powered by you, Hilary.

Kat said...

Wow. Those are gorgeous! I have never seen anything like those tubular. They look like they belong in some kind of coral reef. Beautiful!

Wendy said...

I love how you capture the sunlight on your pics.

And the fungi really looks strange (especially the last pic). But I do like the pancake one. LOL!

Hilary said...

Thank you for the lovely comments, everyone. You sure do make blogging fun. :)

Betty Manousos said...

every picture is so wow!

these are all astoundingly stunning, hilary!
so much beauty!!

big hugs!

Lisa said...

I have never seen some of these .
The flowers are so pretty but the others are amazing. I need to look a bit closer. Thanks for that.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

Wonderful photos, all ~~ my favorites were the fern dappled with sunlight and the amazing fungus that looks like a Dale Chihuly creation.

Christine said...

what an amazing fungi find! they are so elusive and moody, i wonder if the warmer weather is why this one appeared? it's been slim pickins here, it's so dry?