Megan's Nature Nook
Nature Notes, Phenology, Photography, Fun Facts, Trips, Maybe Even a Bad Joke or Two... and More!
When you think of Christmas the familiar story of St. Nicholas probably comes to mind. That isn’t the only story though of how Santa came to be. I was listening to a podcast about mushrooms (Mycology (MUSHROOMS) with Tom Volk on Ologies with Alie Ward) and heard about how the story of Santa may have come about because of something a little different – magic mushrooms. I had never heard of this story before so had to do a little research and found all sorts of parallels between the Santa story we all know with St. Nick and the psychedelic mushroom story.
The main character, besides Santa, is the Amanita muscaria mushroom also known as the “most sacred” and “holy mushroom.” This mushroom is a psychedelic mushroom, or magic mushroom, and can be poisonous. It is the iconic looking mushroom with a red cap that has white spots. This story of Santa is from many years ago. Shaman (medicine men, magicians, or sorcerers) in Siberian and Artic regions who wore red robes with white ropes around the waist would give out gifts of dried mushrooms, usually psychedelic mushrooms. They would deliver these gifts around the time of the Winter Solstice. This time of year, there would often be snow blocking the door, so the Shaman would go through openings in the roof to deliver their gifts. Are parts of this story starting to sound familiar? A man from the Artic dressed in red and white clothing, bringing gifts near Christmas time, and dropping in through the roof... These aren’t the only parallels of the Santa story. The Amanita mushroom is found growing under pine trees, which is symbolized as the presents we put under the Christmas tree. The Shaman would dry the mushrooms by hanging them on tree branches, like how we hang ornaments on a tree. Now let’s talk about the reindeer, they’re a big part of the Santa story. Reindeer in the wild have a liking to the Amanita mushroom and seek it out. When people eat the Amanita they get a sensation of flying. So, the question is, do the reindeer also get this sensation, or is it that people see the reindeer when they’re tripping and think the reindeer are flying? And Rudolph, the most well-known reindeer has a red nose, which some say looks like the Amanita mushroom on his nose. Now this last point is a bit far-fetched, but some say that elves are the spirits that a Shaman encountered during a trip. Some think this connection between magic mushrooms and Santa is a bunch of hoopla, while others see a lot of merit to the story. While I was doing my research, I found a lot of information from professors and historians about Shaman and their traditions. There is even a professor at Harvard who gathers his students each year for the Winter Solstice and discusses the magic mushroom Santa story. So now that you’ve heard the story, you’ll have to decide for yourself – is it St. Nick or Santa of the psychedelics? Either way, this is an entertaining story to tell at the Christmas dinner table. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
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Fall tends to get a bit of a bad wrap since many of the seasonal changes that are happening are things dying or leaving. Pretty fall colors lead to bare trees, forest plants turn brown and die down, and many of our summer birds head south. Even though our cool weather and shorter days means less plants and birds around, do not be dismayed, as fall is a great time to look for fungi! Many species are still fruiting into September, October, and even a few into November. The term “fruiting” may seem odd to use when talking about fungi (the plural of fungus). The fleshy, fruiting body of a fungus is called a mushroom. The mushroom holds spores and is the reproductive part of the fungus, like a seed or nut is the reproductive part of a plant. The mushrooms we see above ground are only a small part of the fungus. A majority of the fungus is not seen as it is underground or in decaying wood. The part we don’t see is the mycelium. The mycelium, and mushrooms, are made up of a network hair-like structures called hyphae. This past week Tony and I explored a new area in northern Wisconsin. On walks through the woods there were tons of different fungi around! I have never seen so many different colors, shapes, and species all at the same time. It seemed like every few feet there were fungi to be found. It was exciting to see what we could find! You might be surprised by some of the shapes and colors we came across, not your typical brown umbrella shaped mushrooms. Here is just a sampling of the fungi we found: Red Waxy Caps - (Hygrocybe spp.) Mushrooms often look different in their various stages of growth, sometimes making identification difficult. Yellow-Orange Waxy Caps - (Hygrocybe spp.) Violet Coral (a Worm Coral) - (Clavaria zollingeri) Coral Fungus There are various types of coral and false coral fungi. I'm not sure of the exact one, but I know it is a coral fungus. Mushrooms can be tricky to identify, so even just narrowing it down to a type can be satisfying. Ochre Jelly Club - (Leotia lubrica) Another name for these little mushrooms is Jelly Babies. Pear-Shaped Puffball - (Apioperdon pyriforme) Puffball mushrooms are well named since they release their spores in a "puff" when tapped. Watch my video below to see this mushroom in action. Mushrooms can be hard to identify, but also a fun challenge! They are interesting to learn about and as an added bonus have some fun and goofy names! Here are two of my favorite field guides for identifying mushrooms and learning more about fungi. Fascinating Fungi of the North Woods 2nd Edition By Cora Mollen and Larry Weber This book has awesome illustrations with useful and fun facts about the different fungi. I really like how this book is organized because it splits up the fungi into different groups based on where they grow and if they have gills or not, making it easy to find your mystery mushroom. It also has a handy chart for each fungus that shows when you'll most likely find it, breaking it down to the months of the year instead of just saying summer or fall. Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest 2nd Edition By Teresa Marrone and Kathy Yerich This guide has great full color pictures of the various fungi making ID easier. It has detailed descriptions and goes more in depth for various types and species of fungi. This one is organized by shape and if it has gills or pores, it also has a section about which fungi are popular edibles and which you should stay away from. Don't let the cooler weather and shorter days keep you from exploring! Head outside with your field guide and see what you can find! And keep checking back, mushrooms can appear and disappear quickly. A favorite trail may produce different fungi each time you're out and about. Joke of the Day Why does the mushroom get invited to all the parties? Because he's a Fungi! (Fun-guy) A few more of our fungi finds: Although most trees have lost their leaves by now and other forest plants are withering away, you can still find some life in the woods, fungi! Fluted Bird’s Nest Fungus (Cyathus striatus), also known as Splash Cup, is a tiny little fungi often overlooked. Bird’s Nest Fungi can be found July through mid-November when damp conditions provide the perfect habitat. It can be found growing individually or in small clusters on dead wood such as twigs or branches and even mulch. Bird’s Nest gets its name from their appearance. They look like tiny bird nests complete with eggs. The outside of the “nest” or cup, called the peridium, can vary from orange-brown to brown or grey and has a fuzzy appearance. The inside holds four to five tiny egg-looking discs called peridioles. The “eggs” hold spores that mature into fungi. The nest is 3/8 of an inch in diameter and the peridium can vary in height from 1/4 - 5/8 inches, so quite small! Their alternate name, Splash Cup, comes from how their spores are spread. A raindrop falling into the nest (peridium) can launch the eggs (peridioles) up to three feet helping to spread the spores. Eventually the egg will split open releasing the spores for new fungi to grow if they happen to land on suitable habitat. Immature nests have a thin membrane covering the top of the nest called an epiphragm. This protects the eggs from being dispersed before they are ready, once they are mature, the membrane degrades allowing raindrops in. Although they are small and can be easily missed, Birds Nest Fungi have an interesting lifecycle! Fluted Brid’s Nest Fungi are one of the smaller species of Birds Nests, but even the larger ones can be missed because of their small size. As you are out enjoying this fall weather on a hike or cleaning up the yard for winter, keep your eyes open for these tiny nests!
Dog Stinkhorn (Mutinus caninus) is an interesting fungus that can be seen August through October here in Minnesota. Although, it is typically found late summer/early fall, a neighbor of mine had a small colony growing in a mulched area earlier this summer in June. Dog Stinkhorn is a 4 - 6 inch tall mushroom with a pinkish/orange stem that is about a half an inch in diameter. The stem has an olive green/brown slimy spore mass, called a “gleba” that covers the upper portion. The gleba has a certain stink to it that helps to categorize this mushroom into the Stinkhorn family. The stink from the mushroom attracts flies and other insects which land on the gleba and in the process get spores stuck to their feet, which they then help to spread elsewhere when they fly off. Dog Stinkhorn can be found growing in a variety of places like mulch, leaf or needle litter, soil, and decaying wood in coniferous and deciduous forests. The lifecycle starts as a Stinkhorn “egg” usually found under the surface of mulch or soil. The egg is oval shaped and has an outer skin with a gelatinous inside. When the mushroom is ready to emerge, the egg will split open and the mushroom will begin to grow. It grows very quickly and in only five or six hours the mushroom will grow to it full size of 4 - 6 inches! After the mushroom emerges the egg is still visible at its base. The mushroom usually lasts only a few days before it decays and disappears.
Spring has finally sprung! Grass is greening up, trees are budding, and Scarlet Cup Fungus is among us! Scarlet Cup Fungus (Sarcoscypha austriaca), also called Scarlet Elf Cup Fungus, is one of the first fungi to appear, adding a splash of color to the forest floor. Scarlet Cup can be found when the spring ephemeral flowers begin to bloom. It is one of the earliest fungi to appear and can be seen April through June. Look for it in hardwood forests on the ground mixed in with the leaf litter. It grows on dead wood such as twigs and branches that are laying on the forest floor. Scarlet Cup gets its name from the color and shape of its fruiting body, the part of the fungus that we see. The “cup” is ¾ - 2 ¾ inches in diameter and is attached to a stalk. The height of the stalk varies depending on how deep the leaf litter is. The inside on the cup is red, sometimes fading to a reddish-orange color with some wrinkles as it ages. The outside of the cup is pinkish-white and covered with minute hairs. As you’re out and about enjoying this awesome spring weather with a hike, keep your eyes open for Scarlet Cup Fungus! It’s fairly easy to spot with its bright red color amongst the dark leaf letter. Go out and look for it before it’s gone! Why does Miss. Mushroom go out with Mr. Mushroom?
. . . Because he is a fungi (fun guy)! Since Spring time weather still isn’t quite here, and we have the potential for more snow, that gives me time to talk about Snow Mold! If you’ve taken a walk through your yard or a park during this time of year, you’ve most likely encountered Snow Mold before. Snow Mold actually isn’t mold, but a type of fungus. There are two kinds, Grey Snow Mold and Pink Snow Mold. Grey Snow Mold seems to be the one I see the most. Grey Snow Mold begins growing under the snow on unfrozen ground and can continue after the snow melts. It grows in temperatures slightly below freezing up to around 45 degrees. As long as the temperature is right, the snow mold will continue to grow until the ground surface becomes too dry. I think Snow Mold looks like spiderwebs on top of matted down grass. The treads of the “spiderweb” are called hyphae, the part of the fungus that collects the nutrients. Usually patches of Snow Mold will be circular and grow outwards. Occasionally, small mushrooms, which are the fruiting body of the fungus, can be seen coming up from the grass. Snow Molds may not grow every year, or in every lawn; it all depends on the weather – amount of snow, length of time the lawn is snow-covered, temperature, and how long the lawn stays wet after snowmelt. If you do have Snow Mold in your yard, when you’re doing Spring yardwork gently rake the matted grass to help it dry out quicker. Once the ground is too dry or temperature are too warm, Snow Mold will dry up and fade until next year. Be sure you’re on the lookout for Snow Mold, or you might miss it!
The transition from Winter to Spring may not always be the most pleasing to the eye, but Snow Mold just goes to show that there is always something to keep your eyes open for; even if it is just a fungus growing under the snow in your yard. And, Snow Mold gets me excited for what other fascinating fungi I will find this summer! |
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