February, 2014

"A Little Buggy" by Karen Hilker

Best Photo
Date: July 08, 2011
Camera: Canon Canon PowerShot S3 IS
ISO Speed:
Exposure: 0.02 sec
Focal Length: 6 mm
Aperture: f/2.7
Flash Used: No
During a walk in the Sierra, I snapped some pictures of a light tan blob on a charred tree. Passing again a few hours later, it seemed to have "spawned" little creatures! My "Laws Field Guide" listed the likely match: Cryptic Globe Fungus (Cryptoporus volvatus) and described a "hole in lower surface through which insects enter to feed and spread spores." It was on that very same walk I found my first (and only) morels, but I'm most pleased with the lucky timing that let me see this polypore transform. (Before/after pics:http://www.flickr.com/photos/pidpot/sets/72157640207544553/)
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