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Mushroom magic

Mycena interrupta (Pixie's parasol) is a species of mushroom found in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Chile. The species distribution represents a time in Earth’s history before the modern continental breakup. It evolved when South America, Australia and Antarctica where connected, a relic of the supercontinent called Gondwana. The caps of Mycena interrupta range from 0.8 to 2 cm (0.3-0.8 in), and they are a brilliant cyan blue colour. They are globose when emergent as seen in the photo and then become a broad convex as they mature. The pixie's parasol appears in small colonies on rotting, moist wood in rainforests. Analogous to the tip of the iceberg, the majority of the species mass is within its woody substrate. Unlike the fruiting body, the unseen hyphae are bioactive threads that contain the potential to chemically break down long polymer chains within wood. (excerpts from forestfloornarrative.com)

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Uploaded on February 24, 2023
Taken on May 21, 2022