Coprinopsis Lagopus/Lagopides

Day 342: For all of the fact that my scientific friends regard me as a keen observer, I am usually quite oblivious to my surroundings insofar as other human beings are concerned. Thus it was that I surprised a man walking his dog in Yelm's Cochrane Park with a loud exclamation of my favourite scientific phrase, "What the hell is that?" In the next instant, I was on my knees in the wet grass, camera focused in on the healthiest of a dozen specimens of a thin-fleshed translucent mushroom shaped rather like our friend Myriosclerotinia. I soon discovered a few deteriorating examples which gave me a clue to the identity. If not a Coprinus (Inky Cap), at least they were related. Examining the area more closely revealed more with flatter caps; the upturned rim appeared to be a function of age. Man and dog joined me. "They're beautiful, aren't they?" he said. "Yes," I replied, "and I haven't ever seen them before." We talked for a while, but his curiosity seemed to end at identifying them as a "mushroom" as opposed to something else (what, I can't imagine). As soon as I got home, I hit the books and Google. Edit: my initial identification was in error. This is either Coprinopsis lagopus or C. lagopides, the latter being the most likely to occur in this area.

Bullfrog Blues

Day 175: As mentioned in an earlier post, the Bullfrogs invading local ponds and creeks can be quite varied in colour, ranging from brown through green, sometimes even aqua blue. The colour of any one frog may change over time as a result of exposure to increasing or decreasing amounts of light, not in response to its surroundings as was once believed. This change is effected in specialized cells and by the manner in which they reflect light. The transition may take weeks or months to occur. The specimen of Rana catesbeiana shown here is entering a blue phase, and if my Bullfrog census for this city park in Yelm is any indicator, the Herons certainly won't be singing the Bullfrog Blues for lack of a hearty dinner.