A few more observations from the hike at Banner Heritage Park in Port Orchard Washington this past Friday. #Fungi #BloomScrolling #Myco-Heterotroph #Moss #Nature

My first Leafless Wintergreen!! Pyrola aphylla. #BloomScrolling #Flowers My first love is #Fungi, but a very close second are #Non-Photosynthesizing plants. Plants that are fully reliant on fungi for their carbon and nutrients, just like I'm reliant on fungi for my joy! #Mycoheterotroph unite!

One of my favorite flowers to find, Heal-all, Prunella vulgaris. Also known as Self-heal, Woundwort and apparently Carpenter's herb, among others. #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Nature #Photography

Check out this massive grouping of flowering Pinesap, Monotropa hypopitys. #BloomScrolling A few closeups of this group and a bonus loner found nearby can be seen below in the comments. #Nature #Myco-heterotroph #Parasitism #Fungi #FungiGarderners

A few odds and ends from Friday's trip to McCormick Forest Park in Gig Harbor Washington State. #Fungi #Orchid #BloomScrolling #MacroPhotography Picture 2 is often seen at this park having been infected by the Hypomyces lactifluorum fungi, resulting in lobster mushrooms.

One of the few Amanita #Fungi seen at McCormick Forest Park Friday. I really enjoyed the composition including the sporangia dotted frond of a nearby #SwordFern in the background. A closer shot of the fungi can be seen below. #MacroPhotography #Nature

I revisited one of the larger Gnome plants I've seen this spring Friday and captured these shots. Their coming along nicely, especially in contract to the ragged looking compatriot found an arm's length away, seen below. #Myco-heterotroph #Fungi #FungiFriends #Nature #MacroPhotography

Always love a good #Guttation shot and the colors on this oddball bracket #Fungi were perfect! Even with how hot dry weather we've been having some fungi are still fortunate enough to have enough water to guttate. #FungiFriends #Nature

Uncovering one of dozens of Amanita found yesterday along the trail. #Fungi #FungiFriday #FungiFriends #UncoveringShrooms

I forgot I had a few more single shot images to post. A few more Amanita fungi from yesterday. 4 bonus mushrooms at early stages of development. #Fungi #FungiFriends #Macro

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanitas for #FungiFriday Image 11 of 12 (Image 12 in the comment below) #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends #AltText

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanitas for #FungiFriday Image 10 of 12 #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends #AltText

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanitas for #FungiFriday Image 9 of 12 #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends #AltText

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanita's for #FungiFriday Image 6 of 12 (7 & 8 in comment below) #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends #AltText

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanita's for #FungiFriday Image 5 of 12 #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends #AltText

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanita's for #FungiFriday Image 4 of 12 #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends #AltText

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanita's for #FungiFriday Image 2 of 12 #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends #AltText

We found a trail absolutely covered in Amanitas this weekend and I made the trek back yesterday to check in on them. A series of pictures from yesterday's Journey Through the Amanita's for #FungiFriday Image 1 of 12 #Fungi #Photography #Macro #FungiFriends

A party of Stellar's Jays banded together to cast astray an invading Barred Owl that had apparently done them dirty. They followed this Owl around for a good 20 minutes dive-bombing them in vain. A composite of 3 videos observing the Jays attacking the owl. #Jays #Owl #Birds #Nature

A couple more Gnome Plant sightings! One of my favorite spots at Banner Forest Heritage Park is absolutely rife with these adorable little parasites! #Myco-heterotroph #Fungi #BloomScrolling #Flowers

Peek-a-boo! While picking some Red Huckleberries in my back yard, this jumping spider made the leap to my hand. I gently replaced them on one of the stems and proceeded to watch them explore the new stem. Such curious creatures, they kept a close eye on me. #Spider #Huckeberry #Peek-a-boo

I was super stoked to find my first Sugarstick today! (Allotropa virgata) #BloomScrolling These #Non-Photosynthesizing plants are associated with the choice edible fungi Matsutake.(Tricholoma murrillianum) I'll post a few more pictures in the comments as I process them. #Fungi #Flowers 🍄📷

A few observations from yesterday's lunchtime walk. The Pacific Banana Slugs were out in force! #Forest #Slugs #Trillium #DogSky

A new study found that if our planet's mycorrhizal fungi network was laid out end-to-end it could span the distance between the 🌎 and our ☀️ 750,000,000 times! #Fungi 🍄📸 The lead author is quoted stating that "there could be up to 10 metres (32ft) of mycorrhizal network in just a teaspoon of soil.”🤯

A new #Orchid for me!! I'm fairly confident these are the Pacific Coralroot, Corallorhiza mertensiana. Another of the always fascinating non-photosynthesizing plants. #Myco-heterotroph #Fungi 🍄📸 Can you spot the #Spider in image 3? The last picture is of the more widespread Spotted Coralroot.

A few odds and ends... 📸1: A pyramid of Mica Cap #Fungi 📸2: Moody splintering fungi chilling with the #Moss 📸3: This majestic mature Lilac Oysterling! #Nature 📸4: A lonely fungi dreaming of #FungiFriends

These pink balls of flowers are always a delight! The Gnome plant is one of several non-photosynthesizing plants found in the Pacific Northwest. (Hemitomes congestum) #Myco-heterotroph #FungiFriends #Fungi #Plants #Flowers #BloomScrolling

Pinesap are such oddballs &I'm here for it! Monotropa hypopitys are a non-photosynthesizing plant that get their food from a parasitic relationship with fungi. 🍄📷 Another way to frame it is the #Fungi are growing #Flowers ...albeit, apparently not of their own volition. #BloomScrolling

A few fungi observations from last weekend. #Fungi An amanita, some likely Wood Woolly Foot and more! #ALTtext #FungiFriends #Forest #HobbitFungi

These Western Wild Ginger plants were a fun find last weekend! (Asarum caudatum) #WildGinger #Flowers A bit difficult to get a good angle on as they were on a moderately steep slope and moved too much in the light breeze for a composite shot. #BloomScrolling #Nature

Perspective matters. This moss bell has a stunning serrated veil circumscribing their cap when viewed from directly above. From the side, as seen below, it looks like a normal bell fungi. #Fungi #Moss #MacroPhotography

A couple shots of some Red Belted conks from this weekend. I'm grateful for the much needed rain and the #Guttation it brings. #FungiFriends #Fungi #MacroPhotography

Check out this adorable pair of fungi. I'm really digging experimenting using my portrait lens for close-up shots. #FungiFriend #Fungi #Portriat #LurkingInTheDistance

A surprisingly warm spring day provided optimal lift for these 5 Bald Eagles who provided us with a backyard #AirShow with wispy cirrus as a backdrop. These shots are from last Sunday. #BirdSky #Birds #Eagles

Check out this blooming Western Spotted Coralroot, Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis. #Myco-heterotroph #Fungi 🍄📷 #BloomScrolling Among my favorite plants, with their lack of chlorophyll requiring a relationship with fungi in order to exist. A few more shots below including an unspotted one.

This is the first time I've actually shot a Dandelion gone to seed. Surprisingly, considering the number of times I've watched the seeds float away on the wind aided by my breath. #Bloomscrolling #Dandelion #BlowMe

Salmonberries are surprisingly already ripening! #Berry Still tart & mealy/seedy....I'm gonna leave these for the birds & wait for my favorite, the Pacific dewberry. Thimbleberries look to be next in line! #Salmonberry Rubus spectabilis #PacificDewberry R. ursinus #Thimbleberry R. parviflorus

Check out this #GIF of a Reticulate Taildropper slug briefly nibbling on some Wolf's Milk Slime mold then continuing on. They graciously provided an answer to my question about what creature had taken the fresh bites I'd observed. #Slug Prophysaon andersonii #SlimeMold Lycogala epidendrum

This bolete has seen some things....mainly the mouthparts of a few #SlugBuddies, as evidenced by that massive holes in their cap and the #Slimed underside...maybe the work of this nearby slumbering Pacific Banana Slug. #FungiFriends #Fungi #Forest #Slug

We had a brief encounter with a momma deer and her fawn on our afternoon walk. #Forest Winston alerted me to her presence early, so we were super still & quiet. Even so, I was super surprised she got this close & kept approaching until I spoke. #Nature #Deer #CloseEncountersOfTheNaturalKind #Fawn

A couple observations from yesterday. #Bloomscrolling #Slugs #Beatles #Flowers #ForgetMeNot #FalseLilyOfTheValley

Amanita's everywhere! These were all spotted earlier this month but I haven't had the time to post them. #FungiFriends #Fungi #Nature #Macro #Photography

A couple of observations from last week. All from the same tree I've been observing over the past 4+ years. #Fungi #FungiFriends #Insect #Molt #Slug #Arthropod #Macro

I spotted these newly emerging Western Spotted Coralroot yesterday (Corallorhiza maculata var. occidentalis) #Orchid One of my favorite non-photosynthesizing plants! #FungiFriends #Fungi #Myco-heterotropic Can't wait to snap pictures of their tiny flowers! #BloomScrolling #MacroPhotograpy

Look Ma, no hands! One of the resident Chickaree / Douglas Squirrel stretching while scoping out the yard. #Nature #Squirrels #Photography

A few of yesterday's observations. Salal flowers/stems have tiny sticky hairs that apparently trap insects! I think the pair might be pesky mosquitoes. Thanks Salal!! I love Ground Cones! One of the handful of non-photosynthesizing plants here. 🍄📷 Thimbleberry! #BloomScrolling #Flowers #Nature

Check out this adorable springtail hanging out on this desiccated fungi, that I believe was an orange jelly before drying out. #Fungi #Arthropod #Moss #Macro #Lichen

This was a fantastic find! Look at all those itty-bitty-teeny-tiny mushies on this stick! Moved from a quiet stream to a nearby liverwort & moss covered bank for these shots. Some were so tiny I couldn't see them with my naked eye. (37+ total) #Fungi #Moss #Liverwort #Nature #Macro #TinyShrooms

A couple shots each of an #Edible Morel mushroom on the left and the #Toxic false Morel fungi to the right. I found another of the Morel nearby but unfortunately dropped my phone on it while taking some test shots. Thankfully it did not crush it and it'll still be eaten.

I spent a good 25 minutes watching this #Spider, as per the time stamps. They were all over this #Fungi, that initially drew my attention. All under the watchful eyes of another of the same species perched up on a stick not an arms length away. #FungiFriends #Nature #Macro Bonus!! #Weevil