*Pic: The striking iridescent blue of the Mycena interrupta
Tarkine Fungi: Now is the moment to get amidst it all!
Celebrate the first day of May with wondrous piccies by Ted Mead*
A fairyland of fungi and moss
Antlers of the Ramaria coral fungi
A vibrant display of the Mycena kuurkacea
Grifola colensoi
A gilled view of a cluster of Hypholoma fasciculare
First published May 1
As a child I was forever enchanted by the seemingly magical world of fungi. For me these delightful plants conjured up the fantasy of pixies, elves, goblins and fairies. Maybe it was simply the artistic shapes and vibrant hues that held me spellbound? Yet decades later I still remain captivated, and every autumn I savour the moment for an exploratory wonder through our alluring forests on a journey of discovery.
Fungi can grow throughout a huge diversity of environments, The damp forest environments, particularly the rainforest and wet eucalypt regions display the best representation, and there is no better place than the Tarkine to find such splendour.
Adding to the mystery, fungi seem to feature deeply within ancient folklore and middle eastern mythology.
There is archaeological evidence that hallucinogenic mushrooms dating back to the Paleolithic period were used in mysterious and religious rituals.
Among the Siberian peoples, the Amanita muscaria, was and is used collectively at ceremonies and parties. The Shamans apparently used them to promote trance during curative practices or to contact the spirits of the dead.
The ancient Egyptians believed there was a special connection between mushrooms and gods, and their hieroglyphs reveal that Pharaohs thought mushrooms were sacred herbs that you could consume to become immortal. According to Egyptians wild mushrooms were the “sons of the gods”, sent to Earth by lightning, therefore only the Pharaohs were allowed to eat them.
Meanwhile if you have a propensity for the taste of the odd psilocybin toadstool sandwich then you need to heed caution as the Death cap Amanita phalloides has found its way into Tassie. One taste of this toxic nasty will give you more than you bargained for. With almost certain failure of your kidney and liver, which proceeds with a slow painful demise of one’s existence. – Take care!!!
Only a selective few of our wild mushrooms are considered edible, better to admire their beauty than to gamble with their palatable content.
Further reading – A Field Guide to Tasmanian Fungi. UTAS, G.Gates & D.Ratkowsky.
All images were taken in the Tarkine recently.
*Ted Mead savours the autumn months in Tassie with its calm weather, deciduous fall, and its forest fungi display. Ted admits photographing fungi has unlimited scope within the extraordinary macro world before us.
Pic: of mushroom stack, Russell Langfield … Comment 5
Pic: of multi-storyey housing for the little people by Russell Langfield … Comment 5
