The winter of 22/23 has been variable from a weather standpoint. Mostly dry until recently with some very cold days and seasonally humid nights in panhandle Florida.
This is far better than the residents of the Midwest and New England who are enduring bomb cyclones and polar vortexes.
This regional pattern portends a variety of natural occurrences based on environmental factors. The results are varied, with some being noticeable and others a bit more obscure.
Many hardy plants currently have buds swelling and waiting to burst into blooms and foliage. While the thermometer is still behaving like a pogo stick, the days are getting slightly longer which provides more sunlight and stimulates growth.
Besides the plants, be they shrubs or weeds, there are fungi which are popping up randomly on a daily basis to populate lawns, decaying branches and the forest floor. Technically they are not plants since fungi do not contain chlorophyll along with some other differences from the plentiful flora.
Local mushrooms are flourishing in panhandle forests under the cool and humid current conditions. These native fungi come in a variety of colors and shapes, but they are easy to overlook.
For many the native mushrooms are the easiest fungi to identify. There are numerous examples of fungi growing in and on a variety of media in this region
Most fungi are unseen. Yeast is a beneficial microscopic fungus which makes bread and rolls possible. Athlete’s foot is another fungus causing discomfort to the human foot.
What is commonly identified as a mushroom is, in reality, only part of the fungus. The section protruding out for all to see is known as the fruiting body.
The fruiting body is the section which produces the spores for the next generation of mushrooms. This portion is the final stage of the mushroom’s life and may take only a few hours to complete.
Many of the native mushrooms in north Florida are classified as having gills. This is the finned section under the cap and is the location of spore development.
Spores are usually distributed by the wind or in water when they reach maturity. Only a small percentage find an ideal location for growth and development.
Some mushrooms, such as the stinkhorn, use insects to spread the spores. Flies are attracted to the fungi’s foul odor and relocate the spores on their bodies as they travel to their next meal.
Most local mushrooms are white to a brown earth tone in color, depending on the species and the stage of life. A few produce bright colors which are influenced by the growing media.
The common species names for the local mushrooms usually indicate someone’s perception of the fruiting body. “Toadstools” could seat the small amphibian, and a “Bishop’s Nose” could be considered a complement, or insult, to a prelate’s prominent proboscis.
There is a local mushroom known as the “Death Angel” which gives the likely results if eaten. Harvesting and consuming wild mushrooms is strongly discouraged.
Occasionally mushrooms are seen in an arc or circle which is identified as a fairy ring. Fables tell of the mythical beings dancing at the site the night before.
The truth is more mundane. The mushrooms are growing in the remains of a tree’s trunk or roots which are buried in soil close to the surface.
As the weather warms the mushroom population will continue to be influenced by the humidity. Those damp, unseen places will continue to grow the native fungi, but they might not be quite so obvious, even to the observant.
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