It’s hard to believe these aptly named rhizomorphs are not actual plant roots! What you are actually seeing are the melanized hyphae of the fungus Armillaria gallica growing in pure culture on an inoculated petri plate! #Mushrooms #FungiFriends
Looks like a nice northern tooth fungus, which grows primarily on maple. Beautiful!
Looks like Ganoderma sessile.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Excited to share that PNAS published our research article focused on "Why are Ralstonia goofy?"
Oh we currently have two adult newfs as well. We know their shenanigans all too well.
Our newf puppy recently experienced snow for the first time! She absolutely loved it!
In only a few short months, it will be springbeauty rust season here in the north central Appalachian 🥳! This disease is caused by Puccinia mariae-wilsoniae, an obligate fungal parasite of Carolina springbeauty (Claytonia caroliniana)! #Mushrooms #FungiFriends
She was not used to a leash.
With all the horrible injustices happening across the U.S., maybe y’all could use something uplifting. Please meet our Newfoundland puppy Matilda who came home with us today!
Hot Fuss is an undeniably fantastic album, but especially for treadmill running.
Great photo!
My guess why you ignored it is something we all know about you Alex. You take a ton of incredible photos and some are bound to slip past you from time to time.
I mean viruses can cause a malformed vascular cambium but it wouldn’t just be on one side.
Sorry as a tree pathologist, the need kind of pours out 😂!
Love the way these eyelash cups look against the decaying beech leaf they were growing on! #Mushrooms #FungiFriends
I have seen this myself in my own local woodlot. I’ve worked on beech extensively having studied beech bark disease. To me this is not a symptom of disease or a biotic agent. It likely represents a genetic mutation possibly exacerbated by some abiotic stressor earlier in its development.
We can that a sugar volcano but it’s likely more microorganisms than host response.
I absolutely love them!
I think I speak for many of us when I say your photography is incredible as are your illustrations!
I get that. And to be clear, the stalked sporangia of slime molds look damn similar fungal synnemata, especially in this instance. Both are beautiful and fun to discuss! Btw, I’m a mycologist / forest pathologist myself.
Jo, I think your first guess of slime mold was correct. Here are my recent closeups of Seifertia azaleae. Based on inaturalist I’d say there are reporting of both on rhododendron.
My favorite slime flux involves the fungus Fusicolla merismoides and other yeasts. I often see it on sap leaking grapevine or black walnut.
I try my best. 🤓
Likely a Slime flux, which is microbial community consisting of various bacteria and yeast. Usually centered around a wound leaking sugary sap.
Thinking about that time I discovered Squidward in an eyelash pixie cup fungus! #FungiFriends
Thanks, I felt lucky to encounter these beautiful fungi!
I mean who doesn’t like a chunky perennial target canker on sassafras? #fungi
Yep that about sums it up!
Most of last year was about The Book, but I did lots more science writing, too! Here's a 🧵of a few of my favorite stories, one for each month of 2025. The first is about geochemists solving a centuries old "cold case," identifying the volcano that erupted in 1831 and cooled the planet 🧪
The question is who is it displacing in your current rankings and are you planning to let them know they’ve been supplanted?
