Shaggy Mushroom

10/25/2017 svseekins Leave a comment

This fall I’m really trying to let fungi thrive. Mushrooms pop up in several spots around our place. They’re pretty, but for some reason I’ve always weeded them out…

Perhaps they scare me a bit.
Are they edible?
Hallucinogenic?
Medicinal?
Poisonous?

Perhaps I’m just a neat- freak?

Years ago someone told me that trees use fungi root systems as information highways between other trees. I dismissed the idea. It sounded too airy-fairy. But scientists are looking into it. UBC’s Suzanne Simard explores & maps the fungi mycelium networks that trees use to share nutrients with offspring & neighbours. Sounds a bit like the storyline of Avatar, doesn’t it? Perhaps the Old Ones were on to something?

Coprinus comatus, shaggy mane — photo by SVSeekins

The Pacific Northwest is a great place for mushrooms. The rainforest at one of our favourite campsites is prime. In 2015 I was charmed by orange stools with white spots. This October, right at our campsite, was a beautiful white shaggy mushroom.

Coprinus comatus, shaggy mane, lawyers wig, mushroom fungi fungus edible garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

Growing in afternoon sunshine beside a well-trodden gravel pathway, not far from the beach, it struck me as unusual. This is not the regular deep humus-rich growing site I’d expect for fungi.

The shape & outer texture of the mushroom is distinctive. I’m pretty sure it’s the edible Shaggy Mane, aka Lawyer’s Wig, aka Coprinus Comatus. That said, I’m no expert.

For several days we carefully left the cap to its business. While striking camp, the mushroom was knocked open. I felt bad but took the chance to look at the inner gills where the spores were maturing. The dark colouring is further evidence that the ID is correct. Maybe we should’ve made mushroom soup. (Actually, I wasn’t tempted to use it because of the high-traffic area & the large population of dogs around camp.)

Did you also notice how much the fruit grew in just 3-4 days? Doubling size in 48 hours seems amazing to me. The apples in our garden don’t produce like that.

Now I’ll try to keep a closer eye on the fungi growing through our gardens. Perhaps I’ll shift even further out of my comfort zone & explore farming some edible types.
🙂

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garden chores, public art, Uncategorized

Solar Eclipse in the Garden

08/21/2017 svseekins 1 Comment

While watering the garden this morning, I watched the solar eclipse reflected on the lawn. Hundreds of tiny crescents sparkled through the leaves of the apple tree.

solar eclipse through the leaves garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

The taller gary oak beside the driveway cast shade with similar crescents peaking through the leaves.

I’d heard about this indirect way of watching the eclipse, but honestly, I still don’t “get” how it works.

I get how the temperature cools a bit.
I get how the sunlight seems just a touch dimmer.
But the dancing crescents in the shade? Kinda magic if you ask me.

As the moon shifted & revealed the sun, the magic morphed back into plain old dappled shade.

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gardens with wildlife, urban deer

Deer Take Over Garden

08/06/2017 svseekins 6 Comments

urban black tail deer tree garden Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC, Pacific Northwest — photo by SVSeekins

I was only away for a couple of months – – 3 at the most.

C had his hands’ full holding down the fort in my absence. Aside from watering the plants in the courtyard, the garden was left alone…
or so I thought.

Upon my return, the new crew that had taken over pruning, shearing & fertilizing, met me at the gate. One even approached us boldly to say hello.

There were 2 does, at least 1 fawn, and a very large-looking buck.

A family business!
Operating gratis!!

Feeling a bit ungrateful, I asked them to continue their duties elsewhere & give our blooms a rest. The does were very polite, gracefully jogging to the next yard. But the buck was much more grudging about it. Perhaps that was because the kiddies were too scatter-brained in following mum’s example right away. Following his crew, he walked slowly & purposefully away.
(Definitely the foreman.)