Fungi

tiny-forest:

Cluster of red mushrooms!

mushroom blog 

tiny-forest:

Dead-man’s Fingers (Xylaria polymorpha)

mushroom blog 

psike22:

In bloom.

tiny-forest:

mushroom blog 

tiny-forest:

pretty

traceitz:

Cladosporium cladosporiodes

Phylum: Ascomycota

Order: Capnodiales

This mould feeds primarily upon the honeydew that is excreted by insects and the liquid exuded by leaves. Domestically, it is found on bathroom walls, where it grows from damp surfaces. It requires this free water for growth. As small, slowly-evaporating puddles or areas of water are left near baths, the fungus will quickly germinate and spread. The fungus can grow on walls and ceilings where condensation has gathered water. The colonies of Cladosporium cladosporiodes spread quickly and look like small brown patches. This fungus is a common harbinger of allergic reactions, which usually appear as a rash on the skin.

inkblob:

Molds growing on a mango

kidsneedscience:

Mycology is the study of the fungi.  It wasn’t until the middle of the Twentieth Century that fungi were recognized as their own taxonomic kingdom, having been misunderstood since ancient times as a subset of botany.  The Greek philosopher Theophrastos thought they were plants missing parts, notably the parts for sexual reproduction.  The fungus kingdom includes a huge variety of organisms, from edible mushrooms to microscopic organisms that can be used as cultivars in food to make cheese, beer, leaven bread, and create medicine.

The word mycology came to English in 1836 from the Ancient Greek word mykes meaning fungus, from the Proto Indo-European base *(s)meuq- meaning to slip, slippery, slimy, and the word logos, meaning word, often used as a suffix to denote the study of.  Latin also used the Proto Indo-European base *(s)meuq- in the form of mucus, meaning slime, mold, snot-a word that hasn’t changed one iota since ancient times.  Scientific orthography dictates that Ancient Greek root words be paired with Ancient Greek suffixes, so the root here is clear. 

Image of mushrooms courtesy JJ Harrison.  Image of Wensleydale Cheese courtesy Jon Sullivan (and not Wallace and Grommit, as one might expect).  Image of penicillium courtesy Peter Halasz, all under Creative Commons 3.0 license. 

crisscrosscutout:

Some mosses and things that I found in my yard and decided to photograph. I also found a dead mouse but I didn’t post it.

Taken by crisscrosscutout