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Most people consider mushrooms to be the small, ugly cousins of the plant kingdom, but theirs is a surprisingly beautiful and wonderful world waiting to be explored. These beautiful mushrooms, captured by enthusiastic nature photographers, are a far cry from the ones you find in the woods or your local grocery store.
Most mushrooms, as we know them, are actually just the reproductive structure of the fungus they belong to – their fungal networks expand far further underground, and some fungi don't even sprout the sort of mushrooms that we're used to seeing. In fact, depending on your definition of “organism,” the largest living organism in the world is a fungus – there's a honey mushroom colony in Oregon that occupies about 2,000 acres of land!
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#1
Puffballs
HollyMason 10 years ago
I stepped on one last week in sandals! The cold yellow powder spraying on my foot definitely made me a little more cautious walking around!
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#2
Mycena Chlorophos
#3
Marasmius Haematocephalus
#4
Rhodotus Palmatus
#5
Phallus Indusiatus
#6
Schizophyllum Commune
#7
Amethyst Deceiver
#8
Panus Fasciatus
#9
Clathrus Ruber
#10
Porcelain Fungus
#11
Cup Fungus
#13
Leratiomyces
#14
Hydnellum Peckii
#16
Cyathus Striatus
#17
Coprinus Comatus
#18
Mushrooms With A Snail
#19
Geastrum Minimum
#20
Aseroe Rubra
#22
Puffball Mushroom
VesselinaMartinova 10 years ago
Very handy mushroom. If you pit it on a bleeding wound it stops the bleeding with an antiseptic effect.
#23
Crepidotus
#24
Tiny Golden Mushrooms
#25
Chorioactis
#26
Hairy Mycena
#27
Amanita Muscaria
Anejo Conejo 10 years ago
They believe that people ate magic mushrooms and thought these were what is now 'Santa Claus' and that reindeer could fly.
#28
Cup Fungi
#30
Illuminated Mushroom
#31
Tiny Orange Mushrooms
Final score:
37points
#32
Entoloma Hochstetteri
#34
Mycena Viscidocruenta
#35
Cyptotrama Aspratum
#36
Black Fungus
#37
Panaleous Sphinctrinus
Final score:
33points
Kyle Eaton 10 years ago
Such simple mushrooms, but its the background that really catches the eye.
#39
Clavaria Zollingeri
#41
Oudemansiella Mucida
#44
Entoloma Hochstetteri
#45
Clathrus Archeri
#47
Stemonitis Axifera
#48
Xylaria Hypoxylon
Final score:
26points
Annie Doneva 10 years ago
That's a damn great shot !!!! About the mushroom - no words needed....
#50
Clavaria Zollingeri
Final score:
25points
#51
Scutellinia Scutellata
#53
Bay Bolete
Final score:
22points
AnnieDoneva 10 years ago
Stoenescu, all your photographs are so beautiful. And every time I see one I can tell that it's yours, without seeing your name under it.
#54
Helvella Lacunosa
#55
Wonderland Mushroom
Final score:
21points
#56
Marasmius Rotula
#59
Purple Mushrooms In The Woods
Final score:
19points
#60
Morchella
Final score:
18points
#61
Hexogonia Artemisia
Final score:
18points
#62
Entoloma Hochstetteri
#63
Helvella Leucomelaena
#70
Lycoperdon Perlatum
Final score:
15points
#71
Russian Muhomor
Final score:
15points
Annie Doneva 10 years ago
These (or similar) are what they draw and talk about in children's fairytale :)
#74
Boletus Edulis
Final score:
14points
#76
Purple Amanita
#80
Coral Mushroom (if I Am Not Mistaken)
Final score:
12points
#81
Sailing Mushroom
Final score:
12points
#82
Coprinus Comatus
Final score:
12points
Ocean Star 5 years ago
This looks more like Coprinopsis picacea. Commonly mistaken for Coprinus comatus.
#86
Lafe
Final score:
11points
#87
Mutinus Caninus
#90
Boletus Edulis
Final score:
10points
#92
Miniature Spa Stones
Final score:
10points
John Buryiak 7 years ago
They are commonly called "bird's nest mushrooms". See this Wikipedia page for info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nidulariaceae
#93