I'm Kaylah. thrifting queen. 
As anyone who is interested in mycology probably has, I have a mental list of mushrooms I'd really love to find and identify. Near the top is an earthstar. I had a basically given up on mushroom hunting for the year because of the weather, it's been pretty frosty lately. But a few days ago Kevin and I were at one of the local parks taking outfit photos when I spotted these beauties in a patch of mulch.
I thought they were just puffballs but upon further investigation I realized the were earthstars!! These are Astraeus hygrometricus, more commonly known as the false earthstar, or the hygroscopic earthstar.
They start off looking like puffballs but as they mature the outer layer breaks open into a star shape. The rays open and close depending on the amount of humidity in the air - opening when its wet and closing when the air is dry. It had just rained earlier in the day when we found these but you can see in the above photo the one beside the open one is closed.
Sorry for the mushroom talk, well not really...I'm totally stoked. I couldn't be happier about crossing a mushroom off my to find list! It's the little things that count!
Hope you're having a fabulous day!
xoxo
They start off looking like puffballs but as they mature the outer layer breaks open into a star shape. The rays open and close depending on the amount of humidity in the air - opening when its wet and closing when the air is dry. It had just rained earlier in the day when we found these but you can see in the above photo the one beside the open one is closed.
Hope you're having a fabulous day!
xoxo
Your mushroom talk is always intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI'm always keeping an eye out too.
And this one is (pardon) effin gorgeous.
Very cool, I've never even heard of those before.
ReplyDeleteSince following your blog, I've been really interested in taking up mushroom hunting! I have one in my front hard that grows on this stump, it's huge.
ReplyDeleteI need to do more research, but you may have helped me find a new hobby for next summer! :)
Mushrooms are awesome! I used to go mushroom hunting with my mom all the time up until I was a teenager and she tought me a lot about which ones are edible and which ones aren't but I have to say that I don't remember too much of it any more because I haven't been 'shroom-hunting' in a long time :(
ReplyDeleteOh wow! That is so neat! I have never even heard of that kind of mushroom! It's always fun to learn something new =]
ReplyDeletexxo
Taylor
eyelashwishesfashion.blogspot.com
Absolutely beautiful! Mushrooms are really interesting aren't they? I've always had a fascination with them since I was a child, but sadly they aren't really common in my neck of the woods.
ReplyDeleteHope you're having a wonderful holiday season, Kaylah. Best wishes! xx
runemagicka.blogspot.com
Congrats on finding an earthstar! I took a mycology course a few semesters ago and we actually went on a mushroom hunting trip! I didn't find an earth star or a bird's nest, two of my favorites, but I had a lot of fun and I did find a mushroom the size of my head, so that was exciting.
ReplyDeletewow that's amazing! i've never seen it! i guess we just don't have anything like it in Europe..
ReplyDeleteWow that is beautiful!
ReplyDeletecan you tell me where you find doc. oct's adorable kitty hats and outfits? i would love to purchase some for my owen!
ReplyDeleteThose are probably one of the most beautifully unique things I have ever seen! How amazing that you were able to find them and share them with all of us. Otherwise, we might have never known of their existence!
ReplyDeleteLove & lollies... Jessa
Confessions of the Cupcake Countessa
That's really cool! I've never heard of them until now. Great find.
ReplyDeleteYou don't need to apologize for the mushroom talk. I really love it! I don't know a thing about mushrooms, but you always explain well why the ones you find are cool and your photographs of them are fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of those mushrooms. They seem really neat!
ReplyDeleteOooh! Those are so awesome!!
ReplyDeleteI have a bit of an obsession for amazing plants, so I totally understand. :)
Your love for nature makes me so happy! :) It's a beautiful thing and I love how much you appreciate its beauty. I hope you have a wonderful day too Kaylah!
ReplyDeleteThose are amazing! I had never heard of them before. Thanks for sharing them. :)
ReplyDeleteOh wow, those are amazing. In the last shot they look like pearls in a fancy setting!
ReplyDeleteThose are the prettiest mushrooms I have ever seen! I am glad that you found a little something to make you smile!
ReplyDeleteHow awesomely named mushrooms and how pretty they are too! Must have been amazing to finally come across them. I'm pretty curious as to how they feel. Is the outer part kind of bark-like and the inner soft?
ReplyDeleteThose are beautiful. I love finding new things in nature. xo, rv
ReplyDeletehttp://aneclecticheap.blogspot.com/
I'm glad for your mushroom talk! These are so beautiful. Man, nature is so cool.
ReplyDeleteThat is BEAUTIFUL!
ReplyDeleteI think it's so neat that you have a love for mushrooms. (:
ReplyDeleteI've been looking everywhere for those! The weather has been strange here in CA...
ReplyDeleteAhh mushrooms are too cute.
ReplyDeleteI found an amazing patch of mushrooms just by my home!
check them out: http://vivikstyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/mushrooms.html
naw, I love mushroom talk. you take really awesome pics of them too.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen or heard of these. They're awesome.
ReplyDeleteWow, they're fantastic. I'll be honest and say I'd never heard of such a mushroom before. Thanks for the eye-opening!
ReplyDeleteLoulou Downtown
That Mushroom is amazing!! I took a wildlife ecology course and we spent an entire day on a field trip up in the mountains with our Professor showing us wild mushrooms....edible vs. deadly...the bad ones are so beautiful :)
ReplyDeletexo,
Erica
http://ericaliveloverandom.blogspot.com/
Wow! Never heard/seen them before! xo
ReplyDeletehttp://imhoneyy.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/imhoneyy
steven, that's awesome! :D
ReplyDeletemishiee, bird's nest are SO common around here, there were even some in the same patch of mulch as these. i love finding them in all different stages of maturity, they're one of my favorites.
jes'ca, i find some on ebay, and the rest are either from target or the thrift store. good lucking finding some! :D
These are cool looking! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty mushroom! I've never seen this kind before :-)
ReplyDeletewww.missmarielouise.com
These are so crazy looking! We spotted some mushrooms growing out of a tree today so I snapped some pictures... your mushroom photographs in the past made me realise what tiny things we would usually miss!
ReplyDeleteI took a mycology course as an undergraduate, and it was so much fun! We had to isolate seven different uncommon types. Most of them are so fun looking.
ReplyDeleteThose are freakin' awesome!
ReplyDelete