AGARICUS CAMPESTRIS (and some other stuff on the meadow)

On the 15th of September 2022, I found a couple of mushrooms on one of the meadows along the road that leads to Shishan, a village situated six or seven kilometers north of my hometown.

IMG_8812 malo.jpg

I don't have anything new to show, the species you'll see here already appeared in some of my old posts, but the photographs always end up being different on different occasions, so you'll see a brand new post about some old, slightly repetitive stuff.

(Enlargeable)

Agaricus campestris is easy to spot in the grass because its milky white color stands out from the surroundings.

(Enlargeable)

This edible mushroom is delicious. It smells good, it tastes good, and its tissue is very meaty.

(Enlargeable)

The mushroom is fairly photogenic as well.

IMG_8818 samoMALO.jpg

Here you can see a small weevil found on the ground under the mushroom. Can't tell you the name of this species from the Curculionidae family.

(Enlargeable)

This much smaller mushroom has grown closer to the edge of the meadow.

IMG_8830 malo.jpg

The meadow was and still is, surrounded by oak trees so is no wonder that I found a fallen acorn less than a meter from the mushroom.

IMG_8833 malo.jpg

I'm not sure about this species. It could be Stropharia coronilla. If it is, it's poisonous. I was sitting on the humid ground while photographing the mushroom ...

(Enlargeable)

... and soon I noticed plenty of lovely droplets on the small plants around me ...

IMG_8839 samoMALO.jpg

... so some of those tiny pearls ended up being a part of this mushroom-themed post. While photographing the droplets on the leaves ...

(Enlargeable)

... I accidentally knocked over the small mushroom. Which is good, actually ...

(Enlargeable)

... because I was able to explore the gills under the cap with the mushroom in that position. This and the previous photograph were taken with the flash of my camera on.

IMG_8849 malo.jpg

Here you can see the same scene in ambient light. In the following photograph ...

(Enlargeable)

... you can take a good look at the entire meadow and the wall of shrubs and trees around it.

(Enlargeable)

I found an interesting fly with painted wings on one of the shrubs in the green barrier.

IMG_8864 malo.jpg

When it comes to the name of the species, I'm not sure about that. Could be the Euthycera chaerophylli. Maybe. The genus is Euthycera and the family is Sciomyzidae, that much is sure. In the following photograph ...

IMG_8853 malo.jpg

... the focus is down on the ground again. This is a puffball mushroom. Lycoperdon pratense is the name of the species. These puffballs are edible only in the early stage of their development when the tissue is firm and white before the spores are produced.

IMG_8854 samoMALO.jpg

A minuscule beetle was running across the spherical mushroom. It was running pretty fast so I was able to get only one shot, and not a particularly good one. You can see only the backside of the insect. I have no idea about the species.

(Enlargeable)

Here you can see an old Lycoperdon pratense fruiting body ...

(Enlargeable)

... that was ready to release the spores.

(Enlargeable)

On a rainy day (or night) the force of the raindrops falling on the sack will send the fine powder made of spores out of the mushroom and into the air.

(Enlargeable)

A couple of meters from the puffball I found and photographed this Salvia verbenaca flower. In the following photograph ...

(Enlargeable)

... you can see the entire plant.

IMG_8829 malo.jpg

I found another Agaricus campestris mushroom before leaving the meadow.

IMG_8827 malo.jpg

This species is closely related to the cultivated champignons that can be found and bought in grocery stores.

(Enlargeable)

AND THAT'S IT. THE POST ENDS HERE. HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE TOUR AROUND THE MEADOW. AS ALWAYS ON HIVE, THE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE MY WORK.

THE END

H2
H3
H4
3 columns
2 columns
1 column
Join the conversation now