November and December are great months for walking in the woods. Not only for the various colours on display, but for the amazing beauty, fragility, strangeness, and variety of something that we very often completely miss – fungi (mushrooms and toadstools).
And like a lot of things in nature, the more you look, the more you find. Yesterday I went a walk in the woods looking for and photographing fungi, and was amazed at what I found.
So this blog post is an encouragement for you to do the same. And those of you who have children – maybe you could turn it into a Fungi Treasure Hunt? You could devise a little competition to see who could find the most unusual mushroom, the most colourful toadstool, or take the best photo of one. And if they send me their photos, I could put them on the Discovering Belgium Facebook page!
(By the way, please tell your children not to touch, pick and certainly not eat them!).
Below are my own efforts. I know the names of a few of them, but if there are any fungi specialists out there, feel free to identify them for me. Thanks.
What a fabulous collection of fungi photos, Denzil. They are all lovely, but my favourite is the second photo.
Thanks Carol, yes I am particularly pleased with that one.
That’s a wonderful collection! I love looking out for fungi too and they creep into my posts occasionally. I’m particularly intrigued by clusters (love your shot of the tree stump) and often wonder why one particular tree attracts fungi yet another right next to it, which looks identical to me, doesn’t. There must be something marginally different about the conditions. Nature is amazing.
Thanks Anabel. It was quite tricky to take some of the photos, I must admit. Light levels on the forest floor are often not optimal!
Hi Denzil, Sarah and family were here last week and I took the girls for a walk in the woods at Rouge Cloitre and they were so excited by the fungi we saw too! On that occasion we didn’t take photos but when we got home I showed them pictures I had taken exactly a year ago and they were keen to see which were the same. Here are a couple that I didn’t see in your collection…..the plate fungus has ‘jewels’ round the edge according to Ella! And we saw plenty of the black and white at various stages of decay! :
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The photos didn’t come through in the comment Catherine unfortunately, but I’m glad your grandchildren were excited by the fungi! Amateur naturalists in the making …
There are some fantastic specimens, Denzil, and you’ve done a good job of collating them. I’ve seen most of these, but don’t ask me to name them! π
I was hoping you would give me all the Latin names Jo π
π
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So many photos of Fungi! It’s been a poor year for mushrums in Sweden otherwise we eat a lot. Not all of those on your photos or recommended to eatΓ°ΕΈΛβ¬ but your focus I think was on the beauty
Thanks for your comment Gunnar. Yes I was photographing for variety and beauty, not for tonight’s dinner! I guess you must know your wild mushrooms if you eat a lot of them. Any reason why it’s been a poor year for mushrooms? Too dry perhaps?
Yes it has been too dry
That’s a great collection, Denzil. You know where to look for beauty! It’s hard to believe that we have all those in Belgium. I still like the quintessential “kabouter paddestoel”. π
Thanks Liesbet. I actually think I was lucky; just timed it right, after a shower, but before the frost!
These are special, beautiful fungi! Great photo captures!
Thanks for your comment Amy. I enjoyed getting low down in the grass to photograph them!
This is some collection Denzil! So many that I have not ever seen and some more familiar ones, you must live near a very fungi friendly wood π Next year I shall make more of an effort to discover some. And thanks for linking to me.
Thanks Jude for your comment. I think I was very lucky, walking through a great wood after the perfect combination of rain, warmth, humidity …
Well-written piece and lovely photographs, thank you for this article. <3
All these mushrooms are making me hungry (even though most of them look poisonous). XD
Thanks for your positive remark Jasmine. Yes, some of them look quite appetizing; others not! I don’t know which are poisonous, if any. I don’t eat wild mushrooms, just in case!
My pleasure. π
It’s a good thing that you do not consume wild mushrooms, I am like a scavenger, if I was the photographer in your place I would’ve eaten most of them without a second thought (even though I would’ve died afterwards).
But here I am, quite safe and sound, away from all those deliciously fatal mushrooms. sighs sadly
At least I’ll stay alive as there aren’t any woodlands near my place, even though life seems empty without forests and fungi. heaves a dramatic sigh
Thank you for this wonderful article Denzil.
I really, really loved it. π
You are too kind. A location without woodlands! So are you in the (a) deserts of Arizona? (b) the Mongolian steppe? (c) the South Pole? (d) Mars. …
Thank you. And you are funny. π
Yes, indeed a location far far away from the beautiful woodlands. sighs
Ummm… I’ll just go with (e) none of the above. XD
Wow, I’ve always wanted to communicate with a Being from another Universe. You and I are going to get on just great. P.S. Your secret’s safe with me.
Ummm… Thank you, I guess. XD giggles
P.S. This is an automatic reply to the last comment. I know, it sucks! π
That is a really interesting collection of fungi. Nice photos too.
Thanks Donna. I think I was very lucky; just happened to be there at the right time, in the right environmental conditions.
Wow, so many gorgeous looking fungi. I have developed a whole new respect for them having done a bit of digging about them. A friend gave me THE most amazing mushroom soup. I just had to have the recipe. And it was so good, I just had to share it in my blog. Which of course meant that I just had to learn a lot more about them. If you like to eat mushrooms this soup is definitely worth making! https://soulgifts.com.au/2016/06/26/mushrooms/
I am definitely going to follow your recipe Raili. Thanks. I love mushrooms and make a homemade soup at least once per week.
Enjoy π