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, June 19, 2020
Scutellinia Scutellata, Molly Eye-Winker
Day 250: Given that the largest specimen of Scutellinia scutellata in this grouping was a mere 4 mm in diameter, it's a wonder that I noticed it on a log twenty feet away and at the 3 o'clock position to the way I was facing. Yep, these little guys were literally in the corner of my vision. There were more, possibly a dozen in all, spaced out in small groups over six feet, and as my mind registered them, the thought passed through, "That's too big to be chiggers," although at first, that was what the colour suggested to me. "Molly Eye-Winkers!" I said aloud to the forest in general, recognizing them as I got closer, and even before I could see their distinctive "eyelashes." Molly is a fungus, not particularly common, but also not too particular about her substrate. I've found her attached to both wood and rock, apparently anchored to the latter via a layer of grit and dust. What she does demand is a moist environment to keep her complexion fresh and bright, and she doesn't care for a lot of sun. Always a favourite, if you see her, give her a wink from me.
Labels:
fungi,
Molly Eye-Winker,
Scutellinia scutellata,
T Woods
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