Day 50: There are far too many orange or pink/orange Ramaria species in the Pacific Northwest which are almost identical in outward appearance, and my skill with the microscope is probably not good enough to sort them out, but that doesn't prevent me from admiring their graceful forms. It should be obvious why they are generically called "coral fungi," and some can be told apart by the way the tips branch (but of course that can be tricky depending on what growth phase they are in). Some are edible. Some are not. Both my conscience and my confidence keep me from temptation. In any event, as I was meandering through the ferns to reach yesterday's geocache, I passed this lovely specimen by without taking a photo, saying as I did so, "I bet I can't find it again." I should have known better, because when I put myself on auto-pilot, I invariably retrace my steps with amazing precision regardless of the terrain. After finding the cache, I began working my way back to the car. "Oh, there it is!" I said, having put my foot down on the same patch of moss I'd stepped on earlier, and even if I don't know the exact species, this fungal find was a perfect companion for my geocaching find.
