The Much Maligned Mushroom



see the silver metal clay pendant at the end of this post
 I have to confess that I am not a mushroom lover.  I also must confess that I am intrigued with their appearance and have taken a great many photos of them from the east coast to the west; from forests to mountains and in my brother’s front yard in Missouri. 
Many of the books I read (you know- the romance novels about Ireland and Scotland) often talk about the importance of fungi in medical treatment and in witch’s brews!  So I thought October would be a great month to share some of those pictures as well as share some of their history.
The ancient Egyptians (about 4600 years ago according to hieroglyphics) thought the mushroom was the plant of immortality.  Mushrooms were declared to be the food for only royalty; no commoners could touch them much less eat them.  Other civilizations thought the mushroom could provide superhuman strength and could lead the souls of men to the land of the gods.
 
Louis XIV is thought to be one of the first mushroom gardeners and France to be the leader in mushroom cultivation.   In the 19th century, mushrooms were cultivated in the United States and we know today many are nutritional and medicinal. 

There are over 100,000 species of fungi so my photographic documentation has just begun!
Our pine tree forests (I live in one) would not exist without these plants growing among the tree roots.  The mushroom helps the host tree with ‘mineral nutrition, resistance to disease and water stress under drought conditions.’ (Peterson Field Guides Mushrooms)  Mushrooms are also important to nutrient recycling in nature and are a food source for animals.  The variety of shapes and sizes, color and kinds of places the fungi grows surprises me.  They grow on trees, under logs, and in grass. 


  Some are edible and some are deadly.  I don’t gather them or eat them.  I just take their pictures and enjoy their visual imagery.  Mushrooms are one of nature’s many visual details that inspire me. 
 
silver metal clay mushroom





Labels:

Comments

  1. Truscale29October 11, 2011 at 7:10 PM

    Very nice mushroom pictures. I think the metal clay mushroom is terrific!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Learning As We Go!

Image
Viking knit is the oldest method of chain making and I've become fascinated by it.  Once I conquered the single knit, I decided to add beads.  I could have googled or asked how it was done but it seemed like something I could just figure out.  And I've learned a lot as I proceeded first with tumbled turquoise beads and then with pearls.  I thought I'd share a few of the things I've learned.   Iif you want a great tutorial on viking knit technique, Trina Ann at http://blog.trinaann.com/  has written a clear concise easy to understand tutorial.  I highly recommend it.    Tumbled tuquoise beads in viking knit  I used tumbled turquoise beads in the first viking knit chain and I did not really know what I was doing.  But I went right ahead and as it turned out, I liked the end result.  Since the beads were irregular in shape there was a random quality to the finished product. During that process, I began to really understand the technique of viking knit.  Loo
Read more

Polymer Clay Conversation

Image
One of the polymer clay groups on FaceBook is 'Polymer Clay Collective'.  This is a group of artists working in polymer clay who share ideas and support each other.  I'm so glad to be a part.  A new feature of this group is the 'Polymer Clay Collective Conversations' where a different member answers a set  of questions.  I get to be first - the trailblazer! I hope you enjoy learning a little more about me and in two weeks I get to learn more about someone else. • Tell us a bit about where you live. I live in Prescott AZ right next to the national forest.   When I look out my studio windows, I often see large black ravens swooping between the pine trees.   Binoculars are always available for close viewing of our smaller forest birds.   You’ve probably read about the forest fires we have had in our area this summer.   The monsoon rains we are having are so welcome. • What do you do when you're not polymer claying? As of 2010, I became a retired interi
Read more

Giving New Meaning to UPCYCLE!

Image
My first ever ‘Do Over Challenge’ was such fun!  I signed up to participate in Jeannie K Dukic ’s 6th Do Over Challenge not really knowing anything about how it worked.  I received a necklace that was very sweet with copper wire connections and pinkish pearls.  It sat on my work space for a couple of weeks while I pondered my next move.  One day I opened my polymer bead collection and was drawn to the pinkish and green beads.  They really looked good with the pearls.  I found some green crystal beads and a few other contenders.  But when I tried the small striped beads, I knew my combination!  This is the finished product for most of the pearls in the original necklace. It was the week to finish some of my long term projects.  I kept the wires with the red and green rubber bands from the braces I wore for 3 years.  When they finally came off, I asked the orthodontist if I could have them.  He wanted to know why since almost NO ONE wanted them and I told him I wante
Read more