Some even glow in the dark.
Better than magic. This fungus is 2,200 acres (890 hectares) and is probably over 2,400 years old found in Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. Apparently they are safe and delicious to eat. A delicacy in Russia and Europe.
Can you imagine a thing so huge? It's bigger than a city. And it’s invasive; killing off evergreens where ever it spreads to with white filaments called rhizomorphs, mycelia, that grow directly into trees stealing its water and nutrients killing them off. Seriously this is like out of a 1950’s sci-fi flick but its real. Surviving off of woods and shrubs killing all in its path.
Maybe you have seen these during one of your hikes through the bush. It will most likely be visible on dead or dying trees.
What makes this mushroom so freaky is not just it sheer size and mass or that it was growing here before Jesus was born but its unusual spores. Its spores are made of “chitin” some of the hardest known materials on earth and some scientists believe it could travel trough space and may have arrived on earth that way.
It grows and spreads underground and pokes up in seemingly random places making it difficult to detect how big it actually is but scientists took DNA samples from different areas over the years and discovered it is all one big organism.
http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/honey-fungus.html#sthash.FqqTFuo2.dpbs
There are many varieties around the world with just as many looks.
What a sight. Huge, spectacular in the most literal sense.
I don't recommend eating any mushrooms you find in the woods unless you are or are with a trained expert. Too many look a likes and many mushroom just want to kill you or make you ill.
Source
http://www.extremescience.com/biggest-living-thing.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armillaria
Great post - you clearly know a thing or two about mushrooms.
You have my upvote - meanwhile check out The Mushroomer.
I heard of that before, but fascinating nevertheless. Intuitivly, one would say the biggest living being is a tree or a whale - but who would think of a mushroom?
A whale was the first thing I thought.
@solarguy this chitin material is interesting. I have been experimenting with growing brine shrimp, and they have a shell made of chitin. Same thing, it could be sent through space and survive! All it needs is salty water.
Recently on Wikipedia I covered NASA's report on potential life on Saturn's moon.
On Earth we have rocks from Mars and the Moon. So, it is possible, that in the case of brine shrimp, it is extra terrestrial.
What you saying about this mushroom and chitin, makes me wonder about more life forms that might have the exotic mixture which is possible that it came from space.
Create a great day,
@kozan
Cool, What type of experiments are you conducting with brine shrimp? They could very well be that and Tardigrads too.
I used to go mushroom hunting every August when I lived up in the mountains. I stuck to simply a few varieties that I was good at identifying.
I've heard that mushroom hunters can lucky and find some mushrooms hundred or more per kilo. That would be a sweet score.
I never looked for such purposes. I did come home with a large garbage bag full of them before, and we would freeze them and I'd cook soup and other things with them for some time. I primarily found Puff Balls, or Boletas. The Puff Balls are actually pretty unexciting when it comes to flavor. The Boletas though had a flavor I enjoyed quite a bit. I don't live anywhere close to where I'd want to do that any longer, but my family and I would hike around in the woods for awhile to get them to eat and supplement our food. We might luck out and find things like Wild Raspberries and such while we were looking, if the bear hadn't already wiped out the patches.
I agree foraging is a fun event. There were some blueberries fields near the cottage and we'd collect quite a bit. Pancakes made with blueberries you picked yourself always taste better. We did have to keep an eye out black bears.
You must have some good memories of that.
Yes, it is one of the aspects I miss from living in a remote forested and mountainous region.
I'm glad my kids had a chance to experience it.
I like the 2nd photo, looks delicious
I bet it is. It goes under different names in different countries I wouldn't doubt we've eaten it and not know it was this.
Maybe :)
mind blown
Panspermia is real. Moat musbroom spores can survive the vacuum of space and genetically the mushroom kingdom is more animal than it is plant! Great post. And grrat phktis.
Yea I read also that mushroom are more closely related to humans than vegetables. Wild world. Maybe all life evolved from mushrooms. Whoa. Then I would need to change my belief that all life evolved from algae billions you years ago.
Nice comment. Going to follow you
Fascinating! And nice photos as well, looking forward to your next post!
Thanks
Interesting information you've put together and great advice, consuming the wrong mushroom can be deadly!
and consuming the right ones could be spiritually enlightening. ^^ lol
Ha Touché!