Spring Reveals Cup Fungi in Japan - Observation of the Week, 4/18/23

Our Observation of the Week is this Microstoma macrosporum fungus, see in Japan by @kazuma_i.

“Last fall, I was observing mushrooms with a friend,” says Kazuma, “and she noticed what looked like little red buds.” After they did some research, Kazuma realized that the buds were actually Microstoma macrosporum fruiting bodies, which grow in the fall, overwinter in a bud-like form, and open up in the spring. So, when he was photographing wildflowers this month, Kazuma discovered a few colonies of open cups, one of which you see above. Below is a photo that includes two of the “bud” fruiting bodies.

Kazuma remembers fishing and catching insects as a child, and accompanying his father to the mountains where they’d collect wild mushrooms and vegetables. When he wasn’t able to make it to certain areas he waited for his dad but “I never got bored,” he tells me. He photographs nature now, and is especially interested in the “fun and beauty of mushrooms’ colors and shapes.”

“I have been photographing animals and plants in nature for a long time, but I was not very interested in identifying species or recording location information,” says Kazuma (above).

By participating in iNaturalist, I feel that I have come to understand trends and patterns while identifying species and recording location information while receiving advice.

It is becoming possible to estimate places where mushrooms are likely to occur by understanding the features of the terrain and vegetation. This leads to knowledge of the local ecology and is also useful for finding subjects for shooting.

(Some quotes have been lightly edited for clarity.)

- You can check out Kazuma’s photos on Instagram!

- Take a look at the most-faved observations of fungi in the family Sarcoscyphaceae!

- @robberfly’s Cookenia speciosa (which is also in family Sarcoscyphaceae) from Costa Rica was an Observation of the Week back in 2017!

Posted on April 18, 2023 07:38 PM by