June 16, 2009

195: Panic Shroom

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I have a fear of mould. On food, on dank basement floors, on rotting logs – pretty much on anything. Maybe not a fear, even. More like a disgust bordering on paranoia on the cusp of dread. Case in point, a recent backyard gag-inducing dumping of kitchen compostables, which terrifyingly enough contained as much fuzz as veggie matter.

Depending on an extremely specific and seemingly unidentifiable set of circumstances, this disgust/paranoia/dread can occasionally cross over to the realm of mushrooms. But mushrooms to me are a grey area; I'll eat the cutesy store-bought ones like there's no tomorrow, but come across bad boys like you see above or below and I become equally fascinated and squirmy. I like to think of these photos, taken in the Whiteshell last weekend during a late spring hike, as somewhat of a step towards truce – between myself, and icky, sproingy, intestinal fungi everywhere.

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Addendum! Anyone out there who can identify these... things... please, by all means pipe up.

7 comments:

Ariel Gordon said...

The first one is a morel, I believe. The second one is lovely but unknown to me...yah, you heard me right. Lovely!

Jeope said...

Ariel, I knew you'd show!

Adrian J.K. Shum, CGD said...

Aye. I concur that the first one should be a morel. I think that the second one may be a false morel or, perhaps a morel at a different stage of growth. Check out this handy online tool for Fungi ID:

http://www.fungaljungal.org/key/key.html

Wicked pix as usual Jeope! Keep 'em coming.

Jeope said...

Agreed! I found out on the Google: Gyromitra esculenta, a false morel.

Tamara Paetkau said...

Oh Jeope, I share the same fear...just this morning my compost bucket gave me the same gag-inducing reaction...blechers.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I am not a fan of the mold, either. Blech.

Anonymous said...

You wuss Jeope..luv yer big sis