Taking a mushroom break for the holidays

Let’s take a break for the holidays from the often unpleasant chore of debunking invasion biology and reporting on the destructive projects it spawns.  We will share some photos of the mushrooms in our neighborhood.  There is a bumper crop this year because of the heavy rains after several years of dry weather.  They don’t last long, so let’s enjoy them while they’re here.

We know next to nothing about mushrooms and in the spirit of a holiday break we haven’t done any research in preparation for this post.  If there is someone amongst our readers who knows something about mushrooms, we invite you to correct anything we’re saying or add any information that might interest others.   And in the interest of public safety, our readers should understand that we assume none of the mushrooms we have photographed are edible.

Mushrooms are the “fruiting bodies” of the fungi that live underground.  They emerge briefly to distribute the spores that will disperse fungi farther afield.  In other words, mushrooms are sort of analogous to the flowers and fruits of plants, where reproduction occurs.

Here are a few mushrooms now blooming in our neighborhood:

Here are a few mushrooms taken in San Francisco’s parks in December 2012 by Janet Kessler and published by the San Francisco Forest Alliance.  We republish here with permission.

Addendum:  One of our readers has sent us pictures of mushrooms taken recently in her neighborhood in San Francisco.  She has identified these mushrooms.  

Happy Holidays and thank you for your readership!