Wow, are we really already over halfway through the number of blogs we write this semester?  I feel as though I have hardly covered any animals/plants at all!  Pretty sad really…  Well now is my sixth blog post about our crazy planet, and the topic for this week just happens to be moving to an entire taxonomic kingdom we haven’t even touched on yet: Fungi!  By the way, fun fact, fungi are not plants mainly because they cannot make their own food; instead, they take it from dead organisms in the ground.

The first fungus I will focus on is the Blue Milk Mushroom (Lactarius indigo):

This is a pretty straightforward fungus, except that it is bright blue, and when damaged, it excretes a bright blue “milk” that slowly turns green with air exposure.  This indigo mushroom naturally grows in eastern North America, East Asia, and Central America.  These are pretty small, with a diameter of 2 to 6 inches, and as tall as 3 inches.  You can actually eat these, and they are sold in markets in China, Guatemala, and Mexico.  It looks like something a fairy would want to sit on, or it that just me?

Now is Rhodotus palmatus, or the Wrinkled Peach:

Again, this is a pretty obviously named one, because the tops of the cap look like a wrinkly peach.  Interestingly enough, this is the only species in the genus of Rhodotus, so there aren’t very many close relatives.  This is a fairly rare species, but has been found in North America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.  They generally like hardwood logs to grow on.  They are generally very small, only a couple inches across and tall.  The exact color (which ranges from orange to pink to red) is determined by the type of light that it gets while maturing.  They have been observed excreting little orange droplets, but not much is known about what that is.  The edibility is unknown as well – although I can’t imagine who would want to eat something that looks like a peach gone bad – so it is advised not to be eaten.

Up next on the list is the Violet Coral Fungus (Clavaria zollingeri):

Another widely distributed fungus (seen in North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia), this is a bright purple tendril fungus that grows in groups that make it seem like an above-ground coral.  It can grow to around 4 inches tall, and the width varies since they grow in clusters.  This is a very fragile fungus and without odor.  It is edible in small quantities and is said to taste like radish or cucumber.  However, it isn’t very useful in cooking, and may have a laxative effect.  I feel bad for the poor scientist who found that out…

Another weirdly shaped fungus is the Golden Jelly Fungus, or Tremella mesenterica:

This fungus is found around the world as well, a yellow-orange jello-looking organism.  It usually grows around 3 inches, and has a very uneven and lobed surface.  Even grosser, it is greasy and slimy to the touch.  What is really cool is that when it dries out, it turns into a very thin film until exposed to moisture again, when it revives back to its original state.  It likes to break through the bark of dead trees.  In China, vegetarians make a soup out of the “brain fungus”, which it is called sometimes.  This seems disgusting, but that may just be my opinion.

I hope, like always, that this was another brief yet really fun and interesting post about the world we live on.  Feel free to comment, and please give me suggestions on overall topics you want me to include for the last few weeks of the blog!

Have a great week, its HOMECOMING!  Are you going to the game? I am!

Best,

Sam