It's Fungi Time!

To be honest I wanted to make a silly joke like this: It's Funky Time!
But that may lead to some misunderstandings... ;)

Thus, after a quite awkward icebreaker I'll get right to the topic of todays article. Before I started to get sucked into the truly fascinating world of mushrooms I always thought that the only possibility to pick them is in autumn. What a surprise to discover that this is simply not true. A few days ago my beloved took me with him for a small fungi-tour. And I want to share with you what we've found.

We've startet our stroll by passing this old spruce which was probably struck by lightning 'cause the upper part doesn't excist anymore. But the trunk is studded with really big and old mushrooms.

Fomes fomentarius or fomitopsis pinicola. Since the picture isn't quite sharp enough to determine it with certainty I will take a closer look at them when I'm on my next stroll and keep you updated. Nevertheless: it's an absolutely astonishing even mysterious sight with all those dusty spider webs!I submitted this picture to @bambuka s #CAMPIRE-CONVERSATION (https://peakd.com/hive-166168/@bambuka/campfire-conversation-season-8-fungi-lovers-challenge) and we've discussed what kind of fungi those may be.

After that we passed a woodcutting place and spotted those mushrooms. We didn't knew what they are called and decided to do a research back home.

Our investigation lead to two possibilities: Pluteus cervinius or pluteus pouzarianus. Since they were growing in cutted softwood we think it's the second mentioned one. But since there are some fagus as well we can't tell you with certainty. Maybe some of you have a different idea? Don't hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to read your suggestions!
And now we come to the actual reason for our walk: To visit the secret morchella elata place. After searching for a while we finally found one. Maybe there will grow some more in the next days. We'll just have to wait a bit!

On our way back home we came across those peculiar looking fungi. They are called gyromitra ancilis. If you're wondering: They all get dried until we have enough for a decent meal.

I know that this community is all about mushrooms. But since we spotted these beautiful plants as well I decided to share them with you too. As a part of this wonderfull walk. This early bloomer is called primula elatior. It is an well known medicinical herb used for colds and bronchitis. But since they are endangered they need to be protected and if you're not quite familiar how to use it I recommend to let it be where it is and refrain von selfmedication.

And here you can see the magnificent caltha palustris. Since they are poisonous I advise against from picking it. Just admire its beauty and enjoy those bright colours of the spring.

We've also stumbled across this strange looking leaf. After a bit of research I would say that this disease is called tar spot of sycamore. It's caused by the fungi rhytisma acerinum and infests maple species.

During the whole time of this walk we've also collected the trash we've come across. Because it simply is incomprehensible for us (and it should be for everybody else!) how some people leave their garbage in the forest. As human it is our duty to protect und care about the environment and not leave a trail of waste behind!

As always, yours: >^.^<