Observation Medication 7/1/11

This week I have been paying VERY close attention to the ground. 

The weather has been humid and hot.  We've gotten a few really nice showers to soak the soil and feed the vegetables, but with it comes the humidity.  

With these great conditions the woods and garden are alive with mycelium popping up all over the place.  

Mushrooms, Mushrooms, Mushrooms... EVERYWHERE!

OK, that's an exaggeration.  They are not everywhere and you do have to be paying attention to see them, but they are popping up all over the place.

Unfortunately, I don't know a lot about mushrooms.  

It is something I am going to work on and study in the coming years/lifetime. 

I was even trying to identify the ones I took photos of, but the mushroom book we own is hard to use and I googled it and no real luck there either.  

I am going to have to be on the lookout for a good mushroom book.

Mushrooms are a lot like the early spring flowers I love so much.

They are only above the soil/humus layer for a few days IF you are lucky.  

You have to be paying attention to see them.

I appreciate most things that cause me to pay closer attention.

Mushrooms are the reminder of the never ending cycle of life.  

They remind me of the ongoing story that happens behind the scenes.  There is a lot of work that happens for us to enjoy and reap the bounty and beauty of flowers and vegetables and the shade of trees.

They play a big role in decomposition and renewal.  

In order for something new to be born and fertilized to grow, something has to be given up.  In order for life to continue, a death of some kind has to occur.

Here are a few facts I did find when I googled them trying to identify the ones in this post.

There are approximately 10,000 different species of mushroom.  Each growing only under its own specific conditions.  Much like us.  Mushrooms are pretty choosy about where they grow and then when they find the just right environment to grow in, they go to town.  

They often grow in symbiosis with their host plant, but there are also plenty of fungi that cause as much damage as they do good.

Mushrooms are present often weeks before they pop through the surface of the soil and a baby mushroom can grow a tall stock in a matter of hours.

Mushrooms are complicated.  They are so specific in their needs and in the action they serve.  

I've got a long ways to go before I can claim to know much about them, but for now, I'm happy to see them in the woods and I am thankful for the color they bring to the forest floor as well as the hard work they do in the ever spiraling process of death and rebirth.

Got a mushroom book recommendation?  Tell me about it, PLEASE!

I will see you Monday hopefully with some great quilt progress to share!

Be Well!