Aleuria Aurantia

Day 361: It's only natural that we associate autumn with the colour orange. Farmers' fields are filled with ripe pumpkins, the leaves are turning, those delicious Chanterelles are springing up alongside other orange mushrooms and fungi, including the thin-fleshed, delicate Aleuria aurantia, commonly called Orange Peel. And that's what it looks like: little bits of orange peel discarded by some thoughtless hiker. Unlike citrus peels, Aleuria is short-lived in the environment. If not exactly ephemeral, they disappear within a couple of weeks of their appearance, the brittle flesh breaking into bits quite readily. "Aurantia" is Latin for "orange" (as in the colour). The root word "aurum" means "gold," and of course you already knew that the chemical symbol for the metal is Au on the periodic table. Occasionally, the outer surface of young specimens of Aleuria aurantia may be covered with a whitish fuzz. This disappears rapidly as the cups mature. Orange and forest green have always been two of my favourite colours. No wonder autumn is the season I love best.

Aleuria Aurantia, Orange-Peel Fungus

Day 28: It's not difficult to imagine how Orange-Peel Fungus earned its common name. From even a short distance, that's exactly what it looks like. Closer in, you'll notice an absence of the dimples and pith you'd expect to see in a discarded citrus peel, and then you may observe the thin walls of this very vibrant species. For all of its "caution light" colour, it is non-poisonous, although almost tasteless and leathery despite being brittle. It is easily identified by its lack of stipe (stalk) and the uniform colour of its interior and exterior surfaces.