365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Friday, October 30, 2015
Elfin Saddles
Day 17: "Elfin," I said. "Elfin, not 'elephant.'" It's amazing how many people mispronounce the common name of this family of mushrooms. Personally, I wouldn't care to sit astride one whether I was an elf or on an elephant. Think of the saddle sores!
Elfin Saddles can fruit in spring or fall, and novice mushroomers often confuse them with Morels which are exclusively a spring occurrence. Characteristically, Morels have a nicely shaped cap with regularly spaced ridges and pits. On the other hand the Helvellas look like gobs of wax, contorted and lumpy. Helvella lacunosa, so named for the lacunae (deep pits) in the stipe, is one of the more common Saddles to be found in the Pacific Northwest.
Labels:
Elfin Saddle,
fungi,
Helvella lacunosa,
Longmire,
MORA
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