Oyster Mushroom, that is. A couple from the archives. Oddly, I’ve shot oyster mushrooms-Pleurotus ostreatus many times but haven’t shared them on the blog.
11.21.2019 OY! It’s an oyster.
This entry was posted in Fungi, Mushrooms, Nature Photography and tagged fungus, mushroom, Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus ostreatus. Bookmark the permalink.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
These made me smile, I love fungi. And these are so neat … they look like tiered meringues!
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They are quite edible. I wonder if oyster meringue could catch on. 🙂 Meringue mushrooms are a thing so why not?
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I’d never heard of ‘meringue mushrooms’ but I see they traditionally go with the ‘yule log cake’. Fascinating!
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These are so beautiful — far more beautiful than oysters, whether in shell or out. Perhaps other species look more like an oyster. The sheen of these reminds me more of the pearls that oysters produce. I just learned that these are capable of breaking down the organic bonds in toxic chemicals, and some think they could be used in mycorestoration. Oysters help to filter and purify our bays, so that’s an unexpected and interesting connection.
You certainly do find pristine examples. I’d never thought about hanging fungi photo on my wall, but either of these, or both, would be wonderful.
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Fungi can be gorgeous organisms but most people think of fungus as something gross. Or they think of them as little dancers in Fantasia. Or those little white Agaricus bisporus found in the produce aisles. But they are quite varied and have a lot to offer, as you discovered in reading about Mycorestoration. You might enjoy this Ted Talk by Paul Stamets.
Not all that I find are pristine, as also true with wildflowers, but I share the pretty ones. 🙂 It doesn’t take much for me to be convinced that they are better looking than oysters although the pearls they create are quite lovely and their iridescent shells are nice also.
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I tend to be cautious about people with grand schemes to save the world, and I really wasn’t sure about this: “Stamets believes we could terraform other worlds in our galaxy by sowing a mix of fungal spores and other seeds to create an ecological footprint on a new planet.” Methinks the law of unintended consequences might be lurking around that one.
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Yeah, that could irritate and make for some angry ETs. Caution is always the better path and, since that video is over 10 years old, it doesn’t appear anyone is throwing fungal caution to the winds…or spores. It would be great if such solutions could be developed and used to correct some of the awful situations we have created through carelessness or lack of foresight, but I would also fear that would give the human race further excuse to not promote a more careful use of our environment.
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We welcome oyster mushrooms to your blog. That first picture’s an eye-catcher.
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Another roadside attraction. I was driving down a dirt road when I spotted them. I was lucky, as were the mushrooms, that not much road dust had settled upon them.
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Such a beautiful organic form, and amazingly, no nibbles!
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I was happy to find such a healthy subject. Many do have little bites, even the Amanitas often do. Thanks, Eliza.
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Nice Stephen! It is fun to see other people photograph mushrooms also!
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Thanks, Reed. I do enjoy photographing them and the best part…they don’t move, even in a stiff wind.
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Thank you for finally posting these. The form and tone are remarkable. And the subtle color. I would hate to lose that color, but I’ll bet that these would make fantastic monochromes.
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I have converted a few mushroom images to monochrome but, despite being as subtle as it is, I always prefer color for mushrooms. And, of course, some are quite colorful.
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Wow, you’re not kidding!
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Those chicken of the woods are choice edibles but I’d hate to destroy something so beautiful.
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These were worth posting, for sure. They have such great texture and tonality. Oh, the fascinating fungus!
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Thanks, Todd. They really are quite beautiful which could strike some as a strange thing to say about mushrooms. And they are so vital to life on Earth…something lost on many people as well.
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These look so smooth and perfect – love the way you’ve captured the texture of them.
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I don’t often find specimens as perfect as these. My timing is generally off by just enough but this was a lucky day. Thanks, Ann.
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The first photo is really beautiful. Who knew that a mere mushroom could be so lovely when growing in a cluster. You have such an assortment of mushrooms in your area. I am impressed.
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We do have a lot of species, I think California and the Northwest probably have the most, and there are many that I could never identify which fall into the LBM catgory…little brown mushrooms. 🙂
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Wow, these are as pristine as the white Lady’s slipper (maybe that’s the wrong name but you know which flowers I mean). They’re sStunning images! Have you eaten oyster mushrooms? I don’t see them often enough to cook them often enogh to get good at it – but even the aroma alone brings me pleasure.
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I have eaten them but only when bought from the grocery. They are tasty for sure which does tempt foraging for them. I don’t always find such nice clumps in such wonderful condition but they are beautiful even when not pristine. Yes, that is the right name for the lady’s slippers although they are actually the pink variety which have variable coloration. Thanks, Lynn.
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