I guess it must be!

So for the third post in a row I have chosen fungi. I will pick a different subject for my next post but rest assured I will certainly be coming back to fungi in future as I have loads more interesting pictures. I should probably try to learn a little but about these things so that I can identify them and at least know a little more about them.

Nevertheless I think they are pretty amazing. All of the specimens today are really tiny, even smaller than those in yesterdays post and they are all really lovely.

I was going to start off by saying something about the red discs in the first image but I now know that they're not red at all so I won't embarrass myself by saying anything about the colour and just say that these tiny discs look amazing against the dark of the damp log they were growing on.

The second one is probably no more that 1cm tall and you can see from the pine needles on the ground around it that it is quite thin too.

Not as thin as the ones in the third shot though with their cotton thin stems and pinhead caps. You may be able to see the way one of the tallest is bending under the weight of a tiny water droplet. These would have been so easy to miss, again the pine needles provide a sense of scale. It is amazing how they even support themselves .

I really like the final specimen which I am reliably told is a mustard yellow. I have seen other varieties like this in a range of colours like purple or grey (I think). I love the pattern on them that makes them look rather like a collapsed umbrella.

Small Is Beautiful

Here is another super helping of fabulous fungi.

Again this selection highlights the wonderful diversity of fungi, they're so beautiful.

Simply Beautiful

In case you haven't worked it out, I really really like fungi. I can't say why I like them so much but I do.  

When I was selecting my pictures for today I thought that my favourite picture was the first one; I love the richness and warmth, I love the shape and the texture but there is also the promise of more as the fungus actually opens out.  As I carried on choosing pictures though I thought that perhaps the fourth one was my favourite, with the colour and texture of fresh crusty bread. But then I think I have finally decided that the fifth image is my favourite. I think the lighting is perfect, the soft focus on the background helps to emphasise the delicate stem and the sharply focused fins on the underside of the opened out head. It is simply beautiful.