Category Archives: Fungi

Fog happens, and the woods rise into it.

Posted on February 23, 2013 by

The overlook at Green’s View offered an interesting prospect this morning. The hundred mile view was shortened by the enveloping cloud to less than one hundred feet. The fog penetrated the forest, hazing and graying views through the trees. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Shakerag Hollow, smells, Trees | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Shelf fungus as a rain shelter for woodpeckers?

Posted on January 29, 2013 by

Older black locust trees in our region are often rotten on the inside. Fungi worm through the tree trunks, digesting their cores. When these fungi are mature enough to reproduce, they sends filaments (hyphae) to break through the tree bark. … Continue reading →

Posted in Archosaurs, Fungi, Trees | 12 Comments

Fifty Shades of Grey: Woodland Edition

Posted on December 21, 2012 by

Sitting in the woods with my class last week, I was struck by how grays had come to dominate. The light environment is transformed. Of course, a “fifty shades” wisecrack had to work its way into my impromptu lesson on … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Lichens, Mammals, Rocks, Shakerag Hollow, Travels, Trees, Water | 30 Comments

Pelting rain, then mist, more rain, and…salamanders

Posted on September 3, 2012 by

Intermittent downpours are not ideal weather for outdoor classes, unless your topic for the day is: salamanders! So a hardy (and uncomplaining — YSR!) group of cyclists headed out in the rain, destination Shakerag Hollow. This is the first of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Salamander, Shakerag Hollow | 5 Comments

Earthstar

Posted on August 12, 2012 by

Indulge me by letting me start with a short quote from The Forest Unseen: “August 8th — Earthstar. Summer’s heat has coaxed another flush of fungi from the mandala’s core. Orange confetti covers twigs and litter. Striated bracket fungi jut … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Shakerag Hollow | 2 Comments

One more smutty webpage

Posted on August 7, 2012 by

These are healthy corn tassels, ready to shed their pollen: And these are tassels that have been infected by a fungus, the “corn smut” (Ustilago maydis; formerly U. zeae): Smut spores overwinter in the soil, then as the weather warms … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Garden | 4 Comments

Agrippina visits Sewanee’s mushroom fest

Posted on July 28, 2012 by

This has been a phenomenal week for mushrooms. A reminder that we are not alone: below our feet lives an empire of rot. Stand still for too long and they’ll draw you into their net. My last post on mushrooms … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi | 5 Comments

A mushroom worthy of a Roman dictator?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by

Early this morning I ran across this beauty growing on a dry slope in the upper reaches of Lost Cove. Even though the light was still dim, the mushroom’s sunny cap glowed. The species is Amanita jacksonii, or American Caesar’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi | 4 Comments

“Under the spreading chestnut tree…” (via telescreen)

Posted on June 1, 2012 by

Hill Craddock and Tom Saielli visited Sewanee today with four hybrid chestnut trees to plant in our forest. Hill is in the Biology Department at UT Chattanooga and has worked for many years on American chestnut breeding and restoration; Tom … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Nuts, Plants, Trees | 3 Comments

Inky cap

Posted on April 5, 2012 by

I made a quick visit to Shakerag Hollow this morning and found the biggest Inky Cap mushroom that I’ve ever seen (genus Coprinus, probably — but see here for identification complications). It stood about a foot tall, growing right next … Continue reading →

Posted in Fungi, Shakerag Hollow | 6 Comments