Ramaria's Return

Day 22: My first encounter with Ramaria araiospora stopped me in my tracks with an exclamation of "What the *$&# is THAT?" And small wonder...this unusual species was first described scientifically in 1974 from a specimen taken locally. It is endemic to the Pacific Northwest, although similar fungi have been reported elsewhere in North America. Five years have passed since I saw it last in this particular location, and it thrilled me to see it making a return appearance.

Every year, I make patrols of the areas where I've observed it (all in the same creek drainage, although at different altitudes). I might have missed this example, hidden as it was beneath ferns, but for the fact that I was travelling off-trail in pursuit of an entirely different mushroom (chanterelles). I just happened to catch a glimmer of red among the fronds. Rare, beautiful, but regrettably edible, this coral is collected for the table (not by me!) with little regard for its status.