~ Homeward Bound ~
This is the final post of this 'trip.' You can read and/or see the other posts here: Show & Tell and Tell & Show. Personally, i think some of the better shots are in those two posts. But, this finale is not without a few good shots!
We were already on our way home when i left off in the last post. We were no longer in the forest or on a trail or Flower Town. We were walking on the sidewalk. Ironically, some of the best mushrooms i saw were in this more heavily trafficked and developed area. I would imagine that is because the spores are spread more in areas more well travelled.
I hated to see that this mushroom in the image below had been plucked and then left to rot. I guess many people can't resist the urge to kick one of these as i like to do with seeded Dandelions. hahaha However, there is still beauty in these fallen fungal friends to be admired... the gills in particular!
I did promise i won't write as much in this post as the last two. I will try my best to keep that promise (though it may already be too late based on that intro)!
I almost missed this colony of mushrooms. I really like when they are all bunched together like this. It makes for some interesting photo opportunities. The lighting was totally different here than in the forest so it took a while to get the settings to cooperate with me.
I like that upon closer examination these caps look almost fuzzy like the moss.
As usual, i tried to switch up the angles a bit and find a more interesting point of view.
Sometimes, when i try this, my camera is so low to the ground and pointing upwards that i can't see my camera screen. I can't see if the focus worked or not and i am shooting blind, like back in the old analog days! I miss that thrill to be honest. Fortunately, the images below did turn out alright!
Then, of course, we need more snail-trails! I only caught the one below due to my angle of shooting and the way the light semi-reflected off of the pearlescent sheen.
Maybe not as much as some other mushrooms, but these were reminding me of little miniature hamburger buns.
I guess when i see a colony of shrooms like that it makes me think of togetherness and community. I could see myself as one of those little dudes just sprouting up and chilling with my little colony of friends and family.
FungusAmongUs
~ But Wait... There's More ~
This colony below is a different group of the same kind of mushrooms that wasn't that far away from the others. Must be their 'stomping' grounds! Well, since these are growing out of a stump i guess it would be 'stumping grounds' instead. hahaha
When i was using my hand as an anchor to steady my camera for the macroshots i tried really hard not to impale my hand on those sharded wood spikes. The last remnants of when this tree was felled other than the stump itself.
You can see some black lichen type fungi growing next to the brown shroom balls.
I didn't realize until i was editing the image below that it had a slime mold in the bottom left of the image. I had tried to capture some shots of this type back in the forest but that was a time when i couldn't see my screen and therefore none of the images came out well enough to share.
So, i'm glad miles away to have 'accidentally' captured these little purple dots. They look a lot like caviar! Well, the ones that haven't cupped at the top yet.
I zoomed in on the corner of the image above to give you a closer look at these things.
I didn't think the snails (or slugs, we have no witnesses) liked to eat these brown ones. I figured they maybe too textured and didn't feel good to crawl on and therefore weren't good food. Based on the image below, i think they were at least worth tasting.
I really liked the lighting in these shots. It definitely created more contrast and accented the texture and colors better in my unprofessional opinion.
Even the wood shards were looking cool!
I also enjoyed that lone blade of grass hanging out with the fungi!
Mushroom Party!
~ The END ~
So, as we wrap up this walk and series of 3 posts i will show you the last images taken on my walk. Not including the files i deleted that were shit shots... i took a total of 138 photographs on this walk. Within these 3 posts... i shared most of all of them.
As much as i love the caps... i never get tired of the gills. I love shooting mushrooms at a profile and it's a pleasure to see up close and personal on their level.
One of the last things we came across before getting home is this little bridge over a tiny stream. I was encouraged to go try and get a shot or two down by the water.
I could tell straightaway that my camera was not up to the challenge. The lighting was so low and filtered, the motion of the water, and the lack of ability for my camera to zoom very far limited my options immensely.
Of course, i was thinking of all the amzing photographers, amateur and professional alike, in our amazing Photography Lovers Community while trying to get these shots. So, i just took two and cut my losses.
But, a couple of the best (or at least my favorites) turned out to be last!
There is more going on in the image below than initially meets the eye!
What an intersting entanglement of mature fruiting bodies!
This image below REALLY captures the Leather Look that i think i mentioned in one of the other posts. In fact, this may be the best portrayal i have captured of the Leathery look that some Mushrooms can have.
Not the greatest photo... but i had to share anyways because i have never seen a mushroom so completely devoured from outside like the one you see in the next photo.
It's a shame. The mushroom below is VERY edible and extremely good tasting. They can grow super big and this was quite a large specimen. Unfortunately, i think we have another victim of being kicked out of the ground.
Now, the potential will never be fully realized. Who knows how big this dude would have grown? It was big enough to eat already and it had a lot of growing to do. I didn't take it because who knows how long it had been sitting there?!
One last apple...
I saw this tone from very far away and once i got close enough to realize it was from filtered light glowing through an Autumn leaf... i had to get some shots.
I'm not 100% sure... but i think the one above and below may just be my favorite shots of the walk. Ironically, they were taken the absolute closest proximity to home on the way back. It was kind of like the icing on the cake for me to get these captured.
And... a nice curiosity to see as the last two images of this post. I don't think i recall seeing this type of a mushroom at this stage of it's life.
The leathery cap-skin (i just made that word up) has now descended into the bowl of it's inverted cap. The gils are dried up and as the moisore has left this fruiting body... it has dried out the flesh and begun the crack around the perimeter.
This was one of my favorite shrooms of the day even though it was more in a state of death. I guess it embodied that half dead and half alive motif of Fall well enough to capture my imagination.
I try to picture each mushroom in whatever stage of development it's in at the time and think of what it's life was like so far and where is it going.
The whole life cycle of the mushrooms is super cool and considering they feed on dead and dying things... i find many of them to be more beautiful at some stage in their death. From this angle, this totally looked like an ear to me.
The End
I appreciate your time joining me on these last few posts and thank you for your thoughtful comments as well! It's been nice to have something to share. Until next time, you all take care and i look forward to hearing which image you enjoyed the most and why.
Thanks For Joining Me Today
Hi Cas! From this one we lose you in Photography lovers, and you pass us to C/Fungi Lovers. 🤣🤣
What great shots you have.🙌 The other day, I was taking a shot in a contrapicado and @abelfotografia was laughing at me, asking if I wanted him to make a hole in the floor, so I could fit in better. 😅😂
But it's just that I really quite like that kind of shot.
The leathery-looking mushroom is awesome, I've never seen it even in images, and what a nice light capture.
I don't know if it's just me, but in some of these images, the mushrooms looked like bread rolls to me. With their little brown color and all…
Sorry to comment so late on this post, but here we had a very destructive hurricane and only yesterday some of us had electricity again after 3 days of complete blackout in the whole country.
XO
Great article!
Mushroom determinations via photos are uncertain and without guarantee. I think you have found a colony of Genus Armillaria. (in German: Hallimasch ;-) )
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria
The 1st photo of the stream has a great atmosphere! ;-)
Thanks Andy! That first shot wasn't a great photograph in the sense of great technical skill or ability. But, i did really like the 'atmosphere' of how the light went with the degeneration of that fallen fungal friend. I'm glad you found value in that one. It was difficult for me to put that image first instead of one of the better options... but i stayed true to my Show in Chronological Order as i Tell. Kind of why the name for the previous two posts.
Cheers browski! Thanks for the extra info Hallimasch = Honungssvamp here in Sweden! hahahaha
Mushrooms are so photogenic, we recently found out we have edible field mushrooms in our yard, yes I made sure to identify very carefully and we have eaten a bunch and not died 😂
I hope the ones I bit into and ate as a child were also edible. 😂
Looks like you got lucky and they gave you super art powers!
They most certainly are photogenic... even the ugly ones! hahaha
(I still didnt get how you put quotes in the comments) but this:
"I could see myself as one of those little dudes just sprouting up and chilling with my little colony of friends and family."
...was a really cute conclusion to those photos!!:)
Also their furry, or mossy texture is pretty cool, together with the warm light you catched them in!
And then I was actually wondering if you also collect some mushrooms for eating (the big one you found) is beautiful, if there is more of those kind in that forest, you could have a feast ..:))
Bravisimo . Beautiful shots dear castle . This time some of them caused me a bit of trypophobia but I'm still fascinated by those mushrooms you capture.
I remember when I was a kid and I don't know if I was naive or curious and I bit one of those mushrooms that were in the garden. Hahaja memory unlocked.
From my little experience I say : that even though you felt a little difficult to take these pictures, they turned out very well and nature gave you some interesting shines.
Belezura
I had to look that up. That's funny/not funny. I'm also glad you enjoyed the post and the images enough to have some memories. Cheers!
Not so long ago I watched something like scientists' versions about mushrooms, and they say that mushrooms appeared on the planet long before the appearance of many creatures. They called them the masters of our planet. About half a year ago, I met one very unusual mushroom when I went to a mountain forest, this is how it looked, I took a photo as a keepsake. As I later found out, they are called “Earth Stars or Four-Blade Stars.
DUde, that's super cool! It kind of looks like one of those ones from the first gif i used in the post. I would love to see one of those. I have been watching a lot of mushroom informational shows and documentaries for a few years now. It's quite fascinating. I always trip out that they aren't plants and aren't animals but something in between. Thanks for stopping by browski!
@castleberry Wow - you continue to inspire me! I could never have imagined that mushrooms could be so interesting a subject. The colony of mushrooms shots are adorable - showing symmetry in nature. I am also amazed to see purple dots on mushrooms.
I sure will keep an eye out to capture subjects like these too in future. At the moment though, it is raining cats and dogs in my location and hence I am working indoors on creating and capturing water drop collision 'sculptures' through high speed photography. Will be presenting my results a bit later today in a post on the community.
Kudos once again for inspiring us all.
Your water drop set up was awesome! Looking forward to seeing what all you come up with. Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a thoughtful comment. Take care and keep up the great work!
exactly my point of view from a previous post!
the blind photos are really made with the 3rd eye :) thrilling!
your trip + pics fascinates! ;)
Shoot me the link to that post! I'm glad somebody else could relate and it is pretty damn thrilling when it works out! hahaha
my weedcash account mentioned it in the first paraphrase :)
https://ecency.com/weedcash/@balcanna/my-first-grow-ever-back
although i was experiencing the exact situation you described... just a day before making my post :D :D
so trippy :}
Now i see exactly what you mean! =)
time!~loop :D :D
10x man!
**Hello the photos of mushrooms are very pretty, it looks good. At the moment at my house the mushrooms are starting to come out and it will soon also be the truffle period. Thank you for making us discover this mushroom that I did not know **
Un jour, j'aimerais essayer de vraies truffes ! C'est bon de te voir mon ami. Merci d'être passé et d'avoir apprécié mes photos.
La difficulté s'est le transport qui dois êtres rapide parce que quand elle sort de terre il faux soit la congeler ou la consommer dans les 3 jours après combien de temps faut il au service de la poste local pour livrer un colis arrivé d'Europe?
C'est vrai... ils ne durent pas longtemps après avoir été cueillis, sauf si vous les séchez et les traitez correctement. Je n'ai aucune idée du temps qu'il faudrait pour que l'affranchissement arrive ici depuis l'Europe. Cependant, la Suède semble avoir un très bon système postal.
Malheureuse la Truffe noire. Cette variété ne peux pas être sécher n'y cuite elle se mange fraiche ou congeler mélanger dans du fromage frais légèrement salée.
La distribution international 3 jours (annoncé mais pas forcement respecté ) le cout de l'envoi par la poste local le plus rapide en direction de la Suède est très chère 35.59€. Si tu le souhaite je pourrais t'en envoyer une ou deux truffes quand le revendeur a qui je les achète en auras a vendre.
Oh wow... De vraies truffes. Je devrai essayer d'économiser des récompenses Hive pour essayer d'aider à couvrir les coûts si/quand le moment sera venu. C'est tellement gentil et attentionné de votre part de me considérer pour cet honneur et ce privilège.
😉
I have never seen such a beautiful colony of mushrooms. The different angles are giving interesting perspectives. You had trouble with the lighting in the forest but look at the pictures, you managed to capture them so beautifully.
Where I live, mushrooms are not that common. Not sure the ones I sometimes get to see our edible or not. I have only eaten canned ones. Really want to try fresh ones some day. 😀
There aren't many mushrooms where i come from either. That's probably one of the reasons why i find them so fascinating. Thanks for your encouraging words and for taking the time to check out my post! Cheers!
Wow my friend Castleberry, your photography is as powerful as it is expressive. I am also fascinated by mushrooms, they are incredible beings that find a way to make their way with very few resources, at the same time mushrooms that are edible are also very nutritious and perhaps the future of the world's food lies in these humble and exotic organisms.
From some of the data i have seen you may be right about mushrooms being a wonderful and abundant food source along with other medical applications and scientific breakthroughs. Glad you liked the shots too! Cheers.
I really liked knowing this facet of you, I could say that you are a true mushroom seeker 🤭 a while ago I saw a documentary and they showed an institute in China where different varieties of edible mushrooms are being cultivated to study their nutritional properties and their feasibility as a food source.
Some mental 🍄 and great images 👍🏼
Thanks
😂 magic 🍄
Is that Freddie Mercury it's a kind of magic ?🤣
That would be cool if there were tiny faces like that on mushrooms when you pick them.
That would be badass!
beautiful photographs! cheers mate!
Thanks! I'm glad you stopped by to check them out. =) Cheers
Learning everytime I check through your shot I think I need to learn how to work with the sun light in taking my picture and the right position to be when taking those pics on my mobile phone because I see professionalism in those pictures you took. Kudos
You are welcome 🙇🙇
What a nice variety of mushrooms you have shown us today. The photographs look really beautiful complemented by the excellent comments.
I liked them very much, so thanks for sharing!
Glad you liked them! Cheers.
beautiful leaves with color, amazing
Thanks, glad you liked them.
i enjoy your adventure👍
Fantastic job!
@tipu curate
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 45/55) Liquid rewards.
Greatly appreciated Andy! Cheers bro
increíble tu post. además, las fotos de aquellas setas son increíble ademas de como se ve tan bellisimo en el enfoque de la naturaleza
Hermosas fotos, la combinacion de colores y texturas me encanta y la iluminacion le quedo genial, felicitaciones :)
Thank you!
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