“A tree’s most important means of staying connected to other trees is a ‘wood wide web’ of soil fungi that connects vegetation in an intimate network that allows the sharing of an enormous
amount of information and goods.”
― Tim Flannery
This week’s photo challenge is hosted by guest Sofia Alves. Her prompt encourages us to Look Up and/or Look Down.
In my photo library, I find fungus and mushrooms in Nature at many levels, high in the trees and underfoot. I recently watched the documentary Fantastic Fungi and was absolutely blown away by the intricacy and importance of mycelial networks and the beauty of a mushroom’s growth over time. I absolutely recommend it for the photography and the ecological information.
Autumn is the perfect season for mushroom spotting. I invite you to take a look at the variety of color, shape, and size in the mushrooms I’ve showcased here, and then go out and see what’s growing in your neck of the woods!
“Nature doth thus kindly heal every wound. By the mediation of a thousand little mosses and fungi, the most unsightly objects become radiant of beauty.” – Henry David Thoreau
“Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom.”
– Thomas Carlyle
“If a healthy soil is full of death, it is also full of life: worms, fungi, microorganisms of all kinds … Given only the health of the soil, nothing that dies is dead for very long.” – Wendell Berry
scillagrace 
Excellent choice Priscilla! Wonderful photos!!
Thanks, Anne!
Beautiful Fungi photos. Quite a variety.
Just a small sampling. The blue one, lactarius indigo, was the most surprising to me!
Yes..never saw a blue fungi..
Wonderful selection! We went for a walk recently to a natural reserve and the gentleman saw my camera and immediately told me where to look for mushrooms. There were a few but nowhere as varied as yours. Your first quote reminded me of The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Have you read it?
Yes! I was gifted that book when I worked for a conservation foundation. Thanks for hosting and for your challenge theme!
Thank you so much, it’s been a brilliant experience 🙂
It was for me, too!
Dear Priscilla…the lawn at our public library recently sprouted 3 large umbrella-shaped wild mushrooms after heavy rains. Handsome though they were, I plucked them and gave them to the librarian to display for visitors. The ‘shrooms looked like they needed elves or fairies frolicking nearby. I didn’t want to chance anyone eating them after reading an article about the danger of amateurs’ consuming them & dying…only experts can distinguish between safe vs deadly. (The “shrooms” were beautiful, though, deadly or not.) Stay well, Aunt Sandy
Found this in my research: “All mushrooms are edible, but some only once.” – Croatian proverb. There are lots of mushroom enthusiasts here in Oregon. I trust the ones that make it to the Farmer’s Market, but not ones picked by “a friend of a friend”…or myself! Stay sharp and well, dear Sandy!
Very creative approach this week Priscilla – so true! Your mushroom variety is amazing!
Thank, Tina!
Beautiful shots of fungi. The first one, of raindrops on a fungus is especially good
Thank you!
Wow. Great photos, great quotes. Well done.
Thanks, John!
So cool! 🙂 I love mushroom pics!
Thanks! 🙂
Great collection of fungi!!!
Thanks, Ana!