{"id":13734,"date":"2024-05-18T13:23:13","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T18:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/?p=13734"},"modified":"2024-05-18T13:23:14","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T18:23:14","slug":"neighborhood-nature-pt-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ericsiegmund.com\/fireant\/2024\/05\/18\/neighborhood-nature-pt-22\/","title":{"rendered":"Neighborhood Nature (Pt. 22)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We’ve been blessed with lots of rain around Casa Fire Ant (~7″ over the past five weeks, spread out nicely) and that has brought forth a diverse crop of mushrooms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mushrooms aren’t the most exciting inhabitants of the natural world, and I generally have a pretty hard time identifying them in order to know anything about them, but a couple of easily recognizable species suddenly appeared in and around our yard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo:
Coprinus comatus<\/em>…but you knew that<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is a shaggy mane mushroom<\/a>, aka a shaggy ink cap or lawyer’s wig. It’s an edible mushroom, according to this article<\/a>, and they come by that “inky” name honestly. As they age — and age quickly, they do — they deliquesce and release a blackish, ink-like substance. And because they deteriorate so quickly once picked, it’s recommended that if you intend to eat them, you should do that the same day they’re harvested. For the record, I didn’t pick this one, much less eat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the Wikipedia article linked above, the shaggy mane is sometimes confused with a species called the magpie mushroom<\/a> (Coprinopsis picacea<\/em>), which is unfortunate because it’s poisonous (although not deadly…probably). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And speaking of the magpie mushroom, this specimen was growing in the adjacent vacant lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo:
Coprinopsis picacea<\/em>, as mentioned above<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
You’re probably wondering, as I did, how that one could be mistaken for the shaggy mane,

\"Photo:
Photo via First Nature<\/a><\/p>as they look nothing alike. As it turns out, according to the previously linked article, what I’ve photographed above and below is the mature presentation of the mushroom, and the “juvenile” aspect does indeed have a similar appearance to the shaggy mane, as shown in the photo to the right. The lifespan of these fungi is quite short and they’ll go from “youth” to “old age” in the course of a day.<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Here’s a second magpie I found growing in the front courtyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo:<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By the way, both the shaggy mane and the magpie belong to the same grouping referred to as ink caps<\/em> because of their propensity to deliquesce — to dissolve or decompose into liquid. Here are some additional facts that I found interesting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n