3:00 snapshot #1401: Mushroom walk at Magnolia (Gloucester)

[urbpan]

Last Sunday I was hired to lead a mushroom walk for the Trails and Sails series of events, by the Inn Magnolia (pictured here). There were heavy rains that morning, but it was beginning to clear my mid-day.


I got there early, and circled the property looking for mushrooms. This Russula was left behind by a squirrel that had been snacking on it. (WARNING: this is the only picture of a mushroom I took the whole day, not counting jewelry.)




I can't remember if this was before or after I fell in the river.
This is after the official part of the walk was over. The walk was only listed to happen from 1 to 2, but I warned everyone; about half left at 2 and all but these three disappeared by snapshot time. As we were passing this tidal river, a young couple flagged us down--they wanted to know if we knew what the weird creatures in the water were. I looked and saw them: comb jellies! Comb jellies are jellyfish-like* animals that have no sting--they are transparent but sunlight catches on their outline to make beautiful iridescence. They were caught on the tide, which changed direction the moment we got there! I waded in to try to catch one, and slipped on an algae-covered rock. Miraculously I didn't soak my phone, car keys, or wallet.


Back at the Inn we gathered ourselves, identified the collected mushrooms, and had a nice chat. This woman is Martha, and knows way way more about mushrooms than I do. She casually identified mushrooms on the walk that I would have dismissed as "little brown mushrooms." She was quite pleasant about it--it's kind of my nightmare to have a better mushroomer on one of my walks humiliating me--and I liked being able to double-check my guesses with her.


Martha was wearing earrings she made herself, out of Lenzites mushrooms.


She made the necklace, too, from a mushroom from the same bloom.

*despite both being jellyish and transparent, comb jellies and regular jellyfish are not closely related. Not even a little.