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.

The Schizophyllum Adventure

Day 27: The Schizophyllum Adventure kept me up well past bedtime last night because I was determined to solve the mystery of this fungus' identity. A friend had piqued my curiosity when she sent me photos taken during a walk on the network of trails within her acreage, photos which showed only enough detail to convince me that it was something I had never before seen. Nothing baits me as well as the unusual and mushrooms tend to be rather ephemeral (especially when the weather is rainy), so in the interests of science, I arranged to go exploring with my friend as guide.

Upon arrival at the site, we discovered multiple specimens growing along a 15' length of downed alder. The fungus was most definitely something I'd never observed, so true to form and with my eye fixed on the goal, I went straight through the nettles to get a closer look. I took photos from several different angles, and made a close visual examination, but fearing that I might miss some important detail, I took a sample in the end and tucked it safely away in a petri dish in my pocket. That moment of foresight made it possible for me to make a positive identification: Schizophyllum commune, Split-gill Fungus.

The common name tells the story. Under 10x magnification, the odd structure of this fungus' gills becomes apparent. They are truly schizoid, i.e., split into two parts longitudinally as you can see in the bottom photos. The fungus forms brackets (shelves) similar to those in the generic classification of "Oyster Mushrooms," but are exceptionally "hairy," the feature which drew my friend's attention initially.

As luck would have it, we encountered a second immature colony much closer to her house which will allow her to monitor their further development.

Whirlpool Nebula

Day 331 (Part B - please read previous post): My thanks to Braden Henricksen who performed the astrophotography to my specs! I did some further enhancement by tone-mapping the image heavily. This is the Whirlpool Nebula as seen through the observatory telescope at Starry Hill.

A Visit To Starry Hill

Day 331: Heading north on Hwy 7 from the Eatonville Triangle, you come 'round a corner and begin a descent into Ohop Valley. Not long before you reach the intersection with Peterson Road, you can catch the briefest glimpse of the dome of Starry Hill Observatory near the crest of the ridge on the opposite side of the valley. Below, the land is protected from development by the Nisqually Land Trust and a proposed State Park. Above, the vault of the heavens rises, devoid of light pollution except at its lower edge. The Milky Way flows through the night like a river and thousands upon thousands of stars shine to be seen over a celestial panorama not visible from the cities. It was my great privilege to have been invited to a "star party" at Starry Hill Observatory last night, an event which kept me up well past bedtime and was worth every second of lost sleep.

Guests from Mount Rainier National Park's Interpretive Division gathered near sundown to await darkness, and were given an introduction to telescopes of various sizes and shapes before being taken into the planetarium for a display/sky map of our proposed targets. Key points for locating the stars and galaxies listed on our "passports" were explained in detail, most using an asterism called the Summer Triangle as a guide. Although I'd owned a small Tasco telescope when I was a teenager and had an interest in astronomy, the Summer Triangle was a new one to me. That was the first of my discoveries for the night, and from then on, I learned at every step.

Assisted by three teen-aged "star guide" interns, Tom and Gracie Pauly took their guests on a fantastic ramble among the stars. My favourite of the night was Albireo, a double-star system boxed within the Summer Triangle. Next was the Wild Duck Cluster, a grouping of stars so dense that through the eyepiece, it seemed there was more light than darkness. This cluster is the "missing pearl" in the String of Pearls (a constellation which will now be obvious to me when I see it again).

Later in the evening, small groups were escorted into the observatory to observe the process of astrophotography. One of the star guides brought the Whirlpool Nebula to the screen and captured it in a 90-second exposure.

Starry Hill Observatory is a private organization, dedicated to bringing science to kids (or rather, bringing kids to science). The enthusiasm of the star guides is a testament to their success at the project. And this kid, grey-haired though I may be, had the time of her life exploring the night sky in a fabulous new experience. Thank you so much, Tom and Gracie!