A week or so ago I was hiking out on Elk Knob and happened to see a shelf fungus growing in the shape of a rose on an old stick.
Fungus rose at Elk Knob
Even more lovely was this unexpected colony of Astraeus hygrometricus, or hygroscopic (water-absorbing) earthstars. They are easiest to find after a snowmelt, because they open in response to water, and you can see the pale spore sac and the white-marked “petals” much more easily than when they are rolled up in a ball and better camoflauged in the winter leaf litter. It’s very common to find them in colonies, given that the spore sac in the center of the earthstar has a somewhat limited range.
Hygroscopic earthstar at Elk Knob
In the photo below, you can count the earthstars—I counted 7—in various stages of being open or closed. The one at the top left is almost entirely rolled up.
Count the earthstars (I counted 7)
If you love earthstars, you might also enjoy the related posts below. I’ll link two of my favorites here as well:
And if you enjoy my posts, you’re welcome to subscribe below!
Get New Appalachian Ground Posts by Email
Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Email Address
Sign Me Up
The post Fungus Rose and Earthstar Colony appeared first on Appalachian Ground.
