Thursday, August 18, 2011

A young Dyer's Polypore mushroom appeared as if by magic overnight at our property in Anchor Bay

Rick and I walk every day, in fact twice a day, as demanded by our Golden Retriever, Huckleberry. On a path that leads to the forest floor a Dyer's Polypore, Phaeolus schweinitzii, appeared overnight. We were amazed! What life force mushrooms have to grow so fast.

This mushroom isn't good to eat but it has so much pigment that people use it to dye fabric. Depending on the age of the Polypore the color is yellow, gold, brown or orange. It has a part to play in nature as it breaks down dead wood into nutrients. There are several dead trees - snags - where this mushroom grows.

The first picture is the first day it appeared. The second is four days later.

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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 3, 2011 at 5:44 PM

    Beautiful pictures! You can find them on older weaker trees as a parasitic fungus. the other name for them up here in Oregon is "butt rot". I use them quite a bit to dye wool.
    Sara

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  2. Jeanne JacksonSeptember 4, 2011 at 4:07 PM

    Thank you, Sara. I'd love to see some photos of your wool.

    Irma Brandt just fowarded me some more info on this mushroom. Some view its appearance as a harbinger of Autumn. We've had a foggy summer so she could be right!

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