Spied a New Mushroom

There's lots of different kinds of mushrooms and fungus growing on this farm. It's been really moist recently with the almost daily evening rain, so some of them are "blooming". Today I spied a new one I haven't seen before. I honestly don't know one mushroom from the other, but I can recognize the ones that grow here. I don't have the foggiest idea what varieties they are, nor if any are edible. Surely I am no mushroom expert...not even a fledgling student. 

Here's my new one..........

I found it growing off the root of a jacaranda tree that had died a few years back. 

Over the years I've introduced a number of mushrooms to this land. Fungi help support soil fertility. They are a major component of healthy soil ecology. Without them, wood and woody materials wouldn't decompose. So rather than waiting for decades for mushrooms to naturally come to this farm, I have the habit of collecting them and bringing them home. But thus new addition arrived in its own. Perhaps on the roots of the jacaranda tree when it was planted decades ago? I want the one who planted it, so I don't even know where the tree came from. 

Mushrooms in the Wrong Place

I'm a big proponent of mushrooms on the farm. They improve my soil and help breakdown the woody comonents of my compost, mulch, and hugelpit contents. BUT not all locations are good. Today I discovered a tiny mushroom colony growing at the base of one of the natural posts of the bridge across the pond. 

This means that the fungus is eating my post and eventually the post will give way. I don't know if it's too late to save the post, but at least I can delay its demise. I plan to inject liquid borate into the base. This should kill any fungus it can reach. But I doubt it will reach it all. 

Crab Claw Stinkhorn?

Found a new fungus in the farm. 

It's a star shaped fungus with three fingers. I think it's one of the crab claw stinkhorns. This one is just about pau. Shame I didn't find it yesterday when it would have been fresher. Would have made a nicer photo. 

This one was growing in some twiggy mulch. It's fun to see what grows out of some of my various mulches. You just never know what will pop up next. 

New Fungus

Came out today to find something new. It's probably a variety of dog vomit fungus, but it looks all the world like somebody dumped a jar of grated Parmesan cheese on the log edging of one of the gardens. 

The fungus....or whatever else it might be....is growing right up the stems and leaves of the nearby weeds. 

By the way, that's hubby's hand. My arms aren't that hairy! And my nails aren't that clean, either. 

Why Mushrooms?

"D" asked, "Why did you spread mushrooms around your farm? I remember my mother always trying to get rid of them." 

Fungus and bacteria are important elements for creating a healthy soil and for decomposing compost into plant available nutrients. Various fungal organisms are closely associated with plant roots, essentially extending the plants root system into the surrounding soil. Thus more nutrients are available to the plant. This relationship greatly benefits my vegetable gardens and orchards, allowing me to avoid using commercial fertilizers. 

There are plenty of other benefits to having a healthy population of fungi in the gardens...

...fungal filaments bind soil particles, creating better porosity 

...plant roots grow better in the presence of beneficial soil fungi

...soil fungus helps suppress soil pathogens (the bad guys), thus keeping plants healthier

...healthy fungal colonies help plants deal with drought and root diseases

...fungus breaks down woody material, a much appreciated activity in my growing areas. 

Research says that fungi can also be used to treat contaminated soils.....a process called bioremediation. I'm seeing a number of professional research papers available on the Internet concerning various types of fungi vs contamination. Very interesting. 

Perhaps D's mother removed mushrooms because she feared that her children might eat them. Many garden mushrooms can be toxic to humans. 

Mushrooms Poppin'

With the string of 30 days of light rain, it's no surprise that I'm seeing mushrooms all through the gardens. For many years I intentionally seeded many areas on the homestead with mushroom spore. Not that I purchased spore, but I collected mushrooms when I spied them, bringing them home with me to use in the various growing areas. Any and all mushrooms were fine, as far as I was concerned. So now, from time to time, I see lots of different types of mushroom pop up. Today, I found these.....,,,