Amanita bisporigera
Deadly mushrooms sprout from the mulch along a path at the Naples Botanical Garden.
Destroying Angels
Fungi
Ephemeral Ghost Pipe
Monotropa uniflora
The illusive rows of ghostly flowers are actually a fungus feeding on fungi that’s feeding on tree roots. They’re epiparasites, or parasites sourcing nutrients from other parasites.
Monotropa unifloraHiawa
Eastern Native American tribes once used ghost pipe as an anticonvulsive and painkiller.
June Foraging
Cantharellus cibarius
A bike ride to a secret spot off South Milledge reveals a neon patch of orange on the forest floor. Click here for a simple and delicious recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
Barometer Earthstar
Astraeus hygrometricus
In the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, a chance encounter with this earthstar over a year ago required balance. Literally.
Astraeus hygrometricus
The High Shoals Creek Falls Trail was closed, but a fallen tree offered intrepid hikers views of the waterfall. A mud-caked log was the only route across the creek after a tree chopped the footbridge in half.
The curious alien spore sac rested on a rock next to the platform/overlook.
Smoky Mountain Fungi
While hiking the Deep Creek Trail into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, coral, turkey tail and other curious fungi sprout from the humus below.
Coral Fungus and Friends
North Georgia Chanterelles
Click here for Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s vegan white wine garlic chanterelle recipe (which I’ll try after verifying they’re actually chanterelles).
Canary Clusterfungus
Pig Trail Fungi
The cost of photographing these fleshy folks was five yellow jacket stingers. More from Pig Trail…
Pedagogy of the Plants 