What a lot of fun. Such wonderful images.
Makes me want to join the fairies and the little people for a mushroom hunt.
Not to mention the 'Hobbit.'

Thank you.
Sue

Thank you All.
Let us walks through the woods together, to look for the mushrooms and the little people.

Artists:Brian Froud and Alan Lee

I like all these mushrooms.
They are really beautiful.

Thank you.
Vicky

Thank you Vicky.
Glad you enjoy the mushrooms.
Sending some Fairies to you.

Artists: Brian Froud and Alan Lee

This is quite a magical thread.

Here are some facts from "On Nature", The Magic of Mushrooms by Cecily Ross.

Mushrooms are neither plant or animal. They do not contain chlorophyll and therefore do not manufacture their own food as plants do. Instead, like animals, they feed by digesting organic matter; unlike animals, however, they lack a nervous system and organs.

Mushrooms spring from underground masses of cells that spread by way of filaments called mycelium or hyphae. The mycelium of a honey mushroom found in eastern Oregon covered 890 hectares and was estimated to be 2,400 years old.

Mushrooms are nature's recyclers, breaking down rotting wood and plant material. Without them we'd be awash in debris.

Mushrooms are 89% water, 4% protein, 6% carbohydrates, 1% fat and mineral, mushrooms are, nevertheless,
a good source of iron, vitaminC, niacin and ascorbic acid.

Many mushrooms growing in the wild contain enough toxins to make a person who eats them very ill or even die, yet they provide a fascinating excuse to go for a walk in the woods.

Thank you yoko for bringing back this very early post.

quote:

Mushrooms are nature's recyclers, breaking down rotting wood and plant material. Without them we'd be awash in debris.

Thank you for bringing back this post yoko.
This is a very interesting topic.
I am not really very good at identifying toxic mushrooms from edible ones, so I will depend on the supermarkets for my purchase of mushrooms.

Medicinal mushrooms

Currently, many species of mushrooms and fungi utilized as folk medicines for thousands of years are under intense study by ethnobotanists and medical researchers. Maitake, shiitake, and reishi are prominent among those being researched for their potential anti-cancer, anti-viral, and/or immunity-enhancement properties. Psilocybin, originally an extract of certain psychedelic mushrooms, is being studied for its ability to help people suffering from mental disease, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Minute amounts have been reported to stop cluster and migraine headaches


Love,
Vicky

This is a perfect time of the year to go for a walk in the woods and enjoy the mushrooms. Just remember to pick the ones you are sure about, otherwise just enjoy the magic of them.

You are right Sue, this is a perfect time to roam the woods and look at the mushrooms.
Mushrooms break down and "eat" dead plants, like your compost pile does, and this keeps the woods somewhat clean.

Love,
Vicky