Wednesday, September 19, 2012

What the hell are these?



Last year I noticed these growths in my yard. I was churning dirt, and these huge puffs of what looked like smoke would appear. Mr S. made some reference about this is how horror films start. Which he says about a lot of stuff honestly.

I don't think they are mushrooms, because I've never seen a mushroom like this. So, I'm guessing some kid of fungus. I still have one in the yard now that I haven't disturbed because I sorta want to find out what they are. Because I'm curious that way. I'm also posting my year old video that isn't the best because I was holding the camera with one hand and trying to split them open with the other. Mr S. has commentary on how we are all going to die. Or something. You have to turn the sound way up. And the video gets better towards the end.





7 comments:

  1. Hmmm. I think I am going to have to slice open that other one I have tomorrow. Instead of mauling it with a pick axe. It doesn't quite match anything on the net.

    I think they are spawning from my neighbors tree. Its some kind of white bark tree. And the roots extend into my yard. And the fungus is huge. It is probably the size of an orange.

    Mr S. thought it might be a puffball, but it doesn't quite fit that either.

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  2. Thanks PM! I was able to find a match on that site. It's a "dead man's foot".

    http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Pisolithus_arhizus.html

    If you look at the photos linked at the bottom of the page ("Other Descriptions and Photos"), it's almost an exact match.

    - Mr. Snarkolepsy

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  3. OMG. That's totally it.

    My thought bubble went - Ooooh. My soil is impoverished! What else..

    Then I thought - I have the ugliest spore ever. They call it the dog turd mushroom! Chooo.

    At least it has an interesting usefulness.

    All I can think of is - I wonder what that would look like under an EM. This guy on flikr has some pictures of the inside.

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  4. So, save me some! Weren't you going to come to Moonbat City to look at the Solyndra art exhibit in the gardens? Maybe you can drop off your "dog turd" at my lab and I'll try to work with it, just for fun. Let me look into what it would take for fixation of fungi and if I have the right chemicals on hand -- I may be getting ahead of myself. :) But it would be cool.

    PM

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  5. Let me know. Maybe I'll just take a field trip. Unless your lab is on lock down or something. I'm not sure I can get to the gardens right now though. Even for indignant rage. My project is trying to kill me. And extra walking just seems unnecessary. I'm tired of using my legs like a sucker.

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