Index of Wildflowers (Common Names) Index of Wildflowers (Scientific Names) Index of Other Organisms	Teacher Resource Page Classroom Presentations Games for Teachers Videos for Teachers	Wildflowers From Other States Wildflowers At A Glance

Gallery
Fantastic Fungi…

Fantastic Fungi! Mushrooms, puffballs, and slime molds

First Previous
Photos 1 - 118 of 118
Next Last

Image Number	Image (Click to Enlarge)	Caption	Image Viewed
1	Ravenel's Stinkhorn fungus Phallus ravenelii Height: 5-1/4" - 7-3/4"	Ravenel's Stinkhorn fungus Phallus ravenelii Height: 5-1/4" - 7-3/4" This is one fungus you'll not soon forget! It smells like animal feces to attract flies (note the two flies and a moth). The flies spread the sticky spores on their feet to other areas. Check out the genus name! Mr. Ravenel must have really liked this fungus! ;) Mushrooms and other fungi are not plants, therefore they do not produce flowers. Fungi reproduce by making microscopic spores.	11463
2	Columned Stinkhorn Clathrus columnatus Height: 3" Milton, FL December 24, 2006	Columned Stinkhorn Clathrus columnatus Height: 3" Milton, FL December 24, 2006 Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction! I found this weird stinkhorn fungus while walking my parents' dog in Florida. I thought the "arms" might open at the top, making it a "Stinky Squid" Stinkhorn, but upon closer inspection I realized it does not open. Like the previous stinkhorn, it produces a slimy spore mass which is spread by flies. I noticed several small flies on the fungi. It didn't smell quite as unpleasant as the Ravenel's Stinkhorn, the aroma reminded me of the odor of a slightly sweet, rotting lettuce!	7670
3	Columned Stinkhorn with flies Clathrus columnatus Height: 3" Milton, FL December 26, 2008 This Stinkhorn is being visited by flies which will spread its spores.	Columned Stinkhorn with flies Clathrus columnatus Height: 3" Milton, FL December 26, 2008 This Stinkhorn is being visited by flies which will spread its spores.	6510
4	Columned Stinkhorn emerges from the soil by these veiled, slightly slimy buttons. They reminded me of some creepy alien being getting ready to erupt from the soil!	Columned Stinkhorn emerges from the soil by these veiled, slightly slimy buttons. They reminded me of some creepy alien being getting ready to erupt from the soil!	5906
5	Stinky Squid Stinkhorn	Stinky Squid Stinkhorn Pseudocolus fusiformis Oak Ridge, TN July 3, 2013 This weird fungus was growing in the mulch at a friend's house. The "arms" were not open at the top.	3978
6	Scleroderma Earthstar Scleroderma geaster Milton, FLDecember 24, 2006	Scleroderma Earthstar Scleroderma geaster Milton, FLDecember 24, 2006 I had been looking for an Earthstar fungus to photograph for quite awhile, but this was not exactly what I had in mind. The name of this puffball sounds like an unpleasant, scaly skin condition! When it opens to release its' spores, the outer covering splits, looking like a small star on the surface of the soil. See next photo.	7800
7	Earthstar Scleroderma Scleroderma geaster	Earthstar Scleroderma Scleroderma geaster An opened Earthstar Scleroderma. The dark powder is the spore mass. These puffballs are often found growing in sandy soil. The species name, geaster, means "earth star".	6232
8	A cluster of opened Earthstar Scleroderma (Scleroderma geaster).	A cluster of opened Earthstar Scleroderma (Scleroderma geaster).	4852
9	White Earthstar Puffball Milton, FL Dec. 26, 2008	White Earthstar Puffball Milton, FL Dec. 26, 2008	4360
10	Gem-studded Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum Height: 1-1/4" - 3"	Gem-studded Puffball Lycoperdon perlatum Height: 1-1/4" - 3" I like these pretty puffballs. They often occur in groups.	5921
11	Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic Calostoma cinnabarina Height: 1-7/8" - 3-1/4"	Stalked Puffball-in-Aspic Calostoma cinnabarina Height: 1-7/8" - 3-1/4" This has to be one of the strangest fungi I've ever seen! They are covered in a thick, gelatinous, slimy pulp which is like "aspic." I found them growing in a coniferous forest in the Cherokee National Forest during an unusally wet July. The fungi will grow a stalk then release the spores. The species name, cinnabarina allude to the color of this puffball.	7503
12	I found these strange Brown Puffballs at the Obed Wild and Scenic River.	I found these strange Brown Puffballs at the Obed Wild and Scenic River.	4828
13	A Puffball fungus Touch a puffball and watch the spores puff out the hole in the middle, like "smoke."	A Puffball fungus Touch a puffball and watch the spores puff out the hole in the middle, like "smoke."	7401
14	Puffball Fungus spores I asked Kenny to poke some puffballs so I could get a photo of the spores being released... (see following photo)	Puffball Fungus spores I asked Kenny to poke some puffballs so I could get a photo of the spores being released... (see following photo)	5368
15	Kenny got a bit carried away when I asked him to poke some puffballs to release the spores! There's nothing like a "cheap thrill", we find entertainment in the strangest places!:)	Kenny got a bit carried away when I asked him to poke some puffballs to release the spores! There's nothing like a "cheap thrill", we find entertainment in the strangest places!:)	5325
16	Cedar Apple Rust Gall Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae	Cedar Apple Rust Gall Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae This may look like something from outer space, but it is just a strange fungus. The Cedar Apple Rust Gall leads a double life, one part on Eastern Red Cedar trees and the other part on apple trees. In the winter it lives as a hard brown gall on the twigs of a cedar tree. The orange, spore-producing growths, called "telia" swell when they absorb water from rain. As the telia swell and shrink they eject spores into the air. If the spores land on the wet leaf of a near-by apple tree they can grow. Later in the summer spores are released and drift to cedar trees, starting the process all over again. The following photo shows a "ripe" gall.	9674
17	A nearly-ripe Cedar Apple gall	A nearly-ripe Cedar Apple gall	3834
18	This "unripe" Cedar apple rust gall was photographed in early March. The little circles are where the fruiting bodies will emerge.	This "unripe" Cedar apple rust gall was photographed in early March. The little circles are where the fruiting bodies will emerge.	5587
19	Quince Rust Gymnosporangium clavipes Oak Ridge, TN March 15, 2009	Quince Rust Gymnosporangium clavipes Oak Ridge, TN March 15, 2009 I noticed this weird gel fungus growing on an Eastern Red Cedar tree in my neighborhood. It had just finished raining, so the tree was still quite damp. According to a plant pathologist from Cornell University (who kindly identified it for me), this fungus will "infect the stem and will eventually girdle and kill the infected branch." This fungus is in the same genus as the Cedar Apple gall (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae). We do have quince and apple trees growing nearby which serve as the "summer host" of the fungi. The spores alternate between the two different kinds of trees through the fungi's life cycle.	4075
20	Yellow Morel Morchella esculenta Frozen Head State Park April 11, 2009	Yellow Morel Morchella esculenta Frozen Head State Park April 11, 2009 I was delighted to find this unusual mushroom, I've been wanting to photograph one for a long time! These are supposed to be delicious to eat sauteed in butter, but I've never tried one.	3887
21	I found this large Shelf fungus growing on a dead tree in the Smokies.	I found this large Shelf fungus growing on a dead tree in the Smokies.	4213
22	The underneath side of this Shelf Fungus is full of tiny pores where the spores are released. The "shelf" is the reproductive body of the fungus that was growing in a decaying log.	The underneath side of this Shelf Fungus is full of tiny pores where the spores are released. The "shelf" is the reproductive body of the fungus that was growing in a decaying log.	3991
23	Swamp Beacon Mitrula paludosa / Earth Tongue Family Height: 7/8" - 2-1/4"	Swamp Beacon Mitrula paludosa / Earth Tongue Family Height: 7/8" - 2-1/4" I found this weird aquatic fungus growing in a spring runoff at Frozen Head State Park in mid-April. It grows on decaying leaves. One of the fun aspects of fungi is the funny names many of them have!	4642
24	Moss and Mushrooms on a log	Moss and Mushrooms on a log Fungi perform a very important function in the forest by decomposing fallen logs. The mushrooms are the "fruiting bodies" of the fungus, they appear when the fungus has grown enough to reproduce. Mushrooms are very difficult to identify, so I will not put the names under the photos unless I am completely sure of what they are.	3587
25	A "Fairy Ring" of mushrooms forms when the root-like mycelia grow out from a center point (perhaps an old tree stump). Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of the fungus, they grow when the fungus has consumed enough nutrients to...	A "Fairy Ring" of mushrooms forms when the root-like mycelia grow out from a center point (perhaps an old tree stump). Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of the fungus, they grow when the fungus has consumed enough nutrients to produce spores. Some fairy rings can grow to a diameter of many yards. This was not a full ring. I took this photograph at the visitors' center at Cumberland Gap National Park in Kentucky.	3563
26	To make a Mushroom spore print, remove the cap and place it gill side down on a piece of paper. Leave it there for a few hours or overnight to give it time to drop the spores. Lift the cap gently to avoid smearing the spores. Spray the print with hairs...	To make a Mushroom spore print, remove the cap and place it gill side down on a piece of paper. Leave it there for a few hours or overnight to give it time to drop the spores. Lift the cap gently to avoid smearing the spores. Spray the print with hairspray or laminate the paper to preserve it. (see next photo)	3709
27	This Mushroom spore print was made after leaving the cap on the paper for 5 hours. The pattern of the gills is left beneath the cap where the spores have dropped. It is not always possible to tell what color the spores will be by looking at the gills...	This Mushroom spore print was made after leaving the cap on the paper for 5 hours. The pattern of the gills is left beneath the cap where the spores have dropped. It is not always possible to tell what color the spores will be by looking at the gills. This mushroom had white gills, but the spores were dark brown. White spores show up nicely on black or other dark paper.	3402
28	Mushroom Spore print	Mushroom Spore print	2868
29	Fungus mycelium	Fungus mycelium	4819
30	Fungus Mycelium on a leaf	Fungus Mycelium on a leaf	4034
31	Amanita Mushroom	Amanita Mushroom	3880
32	American Caesar's Mushroom Amanita caesarea Oak Ridge, TN (Haw Ridge Park) August 16, 2009	American Caesar's Mushroom Amanita caesarea Oak Ridge, TN (Haw Ridge Park) August 16, 2009 The summer of 2009 has been unusually rainy, so the mushrooms have been quite prolific! These beautiful specimens made my jaw drop when I spotted them along the trail at Haw Ridge. I really liked the way they grew in a stair-step fashion. :)	12551
33	Purple-bloom Russula Mushroom Russula mariae Height:1" - 3"	Purple-bloom Russula Mushroom Russula mariae Height:1" - 3" I found this beautiful little purple mushroom along the trail at Haw Ridge in Oak Ridge. It is amazing how many different colors mushrooms can be!	7964
34	Indigo Milky Mushroom Lactarius indigo Frozen Head State Park (Wartburg, TN) August 23, 2009	Indigo Milky Mushroom Lactarius indigo Frozen Head State Park (Wartburg, TN) August 23, 2009 What a great surprise it was to see this spectacular mushroom growing along the trail! It was late in the afternoon, so I had to use my flash. I was amazed to see the beautiful blue gills on the underside when I looked beneath it! (see next photo)	3866
35	Indigo Milky Mushroom Lactarius indigo Frozen Head State Park (Wartburg, TN) August 23, 2009	Indigo Milky Mushroom Lactarius indigo Frozen Head State Park (Wartburg, TN) August 23, 2009	5124
36	A White, gilled Mushroom Mushrooms can have pores or gills for spore production. If you cut a mushroom from its stalk and leave it on a piece of paper overnight the next morning the spores will be left behind on the paper.	A White, gilled Mushroom Mushrooms can have pores or gills for spore production. If you cut a mushroom from its stalk and leave it on a piece of paper overnight the next morning the spores will be left behind on the paper.	5289
37	Old Man of the Woods Mushroom Strobilomyces floccopus Height: 2" - 4-3/4"	Old Man of the Woods Mushroom Strobilomyces floccopus Height: 2" - 4-3/4" I like the charming name of this mushroom. I found it growing in the woods at Haw Ridge.	4535
38	Shaggy-stalked Bolete Boletellus betula	Shaggy-stalked Bolete Boletellus betula I found this interesting mushroom on the trail to Piney Falls in 2005. Boletes have their spores in small pores instead of gills. I used my Nikon Coolpix 5700 to take this photo, it had a moveable LCD viewer, so the camera could be put on the ground and I didn't have to!	4024
39	Tiny (about 1") Red mushrooms at Frozen Head.	Tiny (about 1") Red mushrooms at Frozen Head.	6404
40	An orange chanterelle mushroom	An orange chanterelle mushroom	5246

Fantastic Fungi! Mushrooms, puffballs, and slime molds

Adsense