What is it Wednesday archive: September 11, 2019

Can you identify what's in this photo?

 

 

Each Wednesday morning 

on Camp Lutherlyn's Facebook page

 the Lutherlyn Environmental Education Program posts a photo. 

 

 

Readers have all morning and afternoon 

to make their best guess about what the photo is. 

 

Around 6 pm LEEP provides the answer and a brief explanation.

 

 

Each week's What is it Wednesday post 

will also be posted on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

 after it is posted on Facebook,

sometimes with additional bonus information. 

 

In addition to bringing you current editions of What is it Wednesday 

on the Nature of Lutherlyn blog, 

we will be reposting old editions,

creating a What is it Wednesday archive. 

 

This photo was posted as a What is it Wednesday on

September 11, 2019. 

 

 

 

And the answer is....

This type of mushroom is called Frost’s bolete. 

A bolete is a category of mushroom that usually has a substantial stem and a large spongy cap with no gills underneath. They often change color when bruised – the coloration of the bruised and unbruised flesh can be an identifying feature. Frost’s bolete has a distinctive red cap and stem, and bruises a striking blue-green in contrast when pressed or scraped. This along with the variegated stem, and the golden droplets of liquid that ooze from under the cap make a very distinctive and identifiable mushroom!

Mushrooms are actually just a small part of the fungus – the fruiting body, like the apple of a tree. In the fall and late summer, especially, a fascinating array of mushrooms emerge from the mostly invisible fungus under the soil or decaying wood. Though some are edible, many are poisonous and it’s often difficult to tell the difference – mushrooms are one of the features of nature it is best to enjoy with the eyes, not the mouth!

For more on how LEEP can help you identify the fascinating variety of life around us in nature, check out www.Lutherlyn.com/ee. And like and follow Camp Lutherlyn on Facebook, to see What is it Wednesday posts when they come out and have the opportunity to share your guesses in the comments!