Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • This member of the Amanita mushroom family was found growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida's Western Everglades. This emerging American Caesar's mushroom is a rare exception to a family of lethally poisonous mushrooms that are responsible for 90% of mushroom-related deaths around the world. This one is known to be be both edible and tasty.
    American Caesar's Mushroom
  • This member of the Amanita mushroom family was found growing in the Fakahatchee Strand of Southwest Florida's Western Everglades. This emerging American Caesar's mushroom is a rare exception to a family of lethally poisonous mushrooms that are responsible for 90% of mushroom-related deaths around the world. This one is known to be be both edible and tasty.
    American Caesar's Mushroom
  • Surprising in the Easter-egg lilac/blue/purple color of this mushroom alone, these stood out in sharp contrast to the forest greens and rich browns on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington's Cascades Mountains on a cold and wet November morning alongside the Greenwater River. Upon closer inspection, the sudden intense odor of rotting fruit, wet dog, and those orange circus peanut candies came to mind. The underside of these mushroom was cinnamon brown, and so was the spore print I made from one of them.
    Gassy Webcap Mushroom (Cortinarius t..nus)
  • Surprising in the Easter-egg lilac/blue/purple color of this mushroom alone, these stood out in sharp contrast to the forest greens and rich browns on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington's Cascades Mountains on a cold and wet November morning alongside the Greenwater River. Upon closer inspection, the sudden intense odor of rotting fruit, wet dog, and those orange circus peanut candies came to mind. The underside of these mushroom was cinnamon brown, and so was the spore print I made from one of them.
    Gassy Webcap Mushroom (Cortinarius t..nus)
  • Surprising in the Easter-egg lilac/blue/purple color of this mushroom alone, these stood out in sharp contrast to the forest greens and rich browns on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington's Cascades Mountains on a cold and wet November morning alongside the Greenwater River. Upon closer inspection, the sudden intense odor of rotting fruit, wet dog, and those orange circus peanut candies came to mind. The underside of these mushroom was cinnamon brown, and so was the spore print I made from one of them.
    Gassy Webcap Mushroom (Cortinarius t..nus)
  • Surprising in the Easter-egg lilac/blue/purple color of this mushroom alone, these stood out in sharp contrast to the forest greens and rich browns on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington's Cascades Mountains on a cold and wet November morning alongside the Greenwater River. Upon closer inspection, the sudden intense odor of rotting fruit, wet dog, and those orange circus peanut candies came to mind. The underside of these mushroom was cinnamon brown, and so was the spore print I made from one of them.
    Gassy Webcap Mushroom (Cortinarius t..nus)
  • A freshly emerging fly agaric mushroom (Amanita muscaria) just popping out of the forest floor along Bellevue, Washington's Coal Creek on an early fall afternoon. In a couple of days, its distinctive bright red cap will be highly visible against the bright greens and dark browns of this part of the forest. This highly toxic mushroom can make anyone ingesting it extremely sick (and possibly fatally). This psychoactive fungus has had such an impact on most major cultures in the history of humans that it is mentioned in just about every culture's folklore and religious texts where it is found in the northern hemisphere.
    Emerging Fly Agaric Mushroom
  • Surprising in the Easter-egg lilac/blue/purple color of this mushroom alone, these stood out in sharp contrast to the forest greens and rich browns on the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington's Cascades Mountains on a cold and wet November morning alongside the Greenwater River. Upon closer inspection, the sudden intense odor of rotting fruit, wet dog, and those orange circus peanut candies came to mind. The underside of these mushroom was cinnamon brown, and so was the spore print I made from one of them.
    Gassy Webcap Mushroom (Cortinarius t..nus)
  • Honey mushrooms (Armillaria sp.) in a wet forested area near Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington. As with many mushrooms, exact species are hard to distinguish and the taxonomy keeps changing, but luckily all of these honey mushrooms are edible and quite a commonly-collected type prized by forest foragers. It is advised that these be thoroughly cooked as these mushrooms are said to have variable levels of toxicity when eaten raw.
    Honey Mushroom
  • Honey mushrooms (Armillaria sp.) in a wet forested area near Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington. As with many mushrooms, exact species are hard to distinguish and the taxonomy keeps changing, but luckily all of these honey mushrooms are edible and quite a commonly-collected type prized by forest foragers. It is advised that these be thoroughly cooked as these mushrooms are said to have variable levels of toxicity when eaten raw.
    Honey Mushroom
  • Honey mushrooms (Armillaria sp.) in a wet forested area near Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington. As with many mushrooms, exact species are hard to distinguish and the taxonomy keeps changing, but luckily all of these honey mushrooms are edible and quite a commonly-collected type prized by forest foragers. It is advised that these be thoroughly cooked as these mushrooms are said to have variable levels of toxicity when eaten raw.
    Honey Mushroom
  • Honey mushrooms (Armillaria sp.) in a wet forested area near Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington. As with many mushrooms, exact species are hard to distinguish and the taxonomy keeps changing, but luckily all of these honey mushrooms are edible and quite a commonly-collected type prized by forest foragers. It is advised that these be thoroughly cooked as these mushrooms are said to have variable levels of toxicity when eaten raw.
    Honey Mushroom
  • This commonly-encountered, weird cup-shaped mushroom is a type of cup-fungus. Like whenever looking at mushrooms - what you are actually seeing is the above-ground fruiting bodies of the year-round fibrous strands that are actually the real mushroom. These were found growing near the summit of Little Mount Si in North Bend, Washington, and are edible, but may have little to no taste.
    Orange-Peel Fungus
  • The artist's fungus is a common species of very large polypore mushroom found on every continent except Antarctica. It gets its name from a very interesting style of art where the  mushroom is picked and the white pores of the fruiting body are scratched away to reveal the brown woody inside, creating a sort of natural canvas. This is where the artist can scrape away just enough to create scenes, images of people or nature, or anything else he or she can imagine. A simple search on the web can give you plenty of examples of artwork created with these mushrooms. These were photographed close to the edge of Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early autumn afternoon.
    Artist's Conk
  • The artist's fungus is a common species of very large polypore mushroom found on every continent except Antarctica. It gets its name from a very interesting style of art where the  mushroom is picked and the white pores of the fruiting body are scratched away to reveal the brown woody inside, creating a sort of natural canvas. This is where the artist can scrape away just enough to create scenes, images of people or nature, or anything else he or she can imagine. A simple search on the web can give you plenty of examples of artwork created with these mushrooms. These were photographed close to the edge of Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington on an early autumn afternoon.
    Artist's Conk
  • This commonly-encountered, weird cup-shaped mushroom is a type of cup-fungus. Like whenever looking at mushrooms - what you are actually seeing is the above-ground fruiting bodies of the year-round fibrous strands that are actually the real mushroom. These were found growing near the summit of Little Mount Si in North Bend, Washington, and are edible, but may have little to no taste.
    Orange-Peel Fungus
  • This commonly-encountered, weird cup-shaped mushroom is a type of cup-fungus. Like whenever looking at mushrooms - what you are actually seeing is the above-ground fruiting bodies of the year-round fibrous strands that are actually the real mushroom. These were found growing near the summit of Little Mount Si in North Bend, Washington, and are edible, but may have little to no taste.
    Orange-Peel Fungus
  • The artist's fungus is a common species of very large polypore mushroom found on every continent except Antarctica. It gets its name from a very interesting style of art where the  mushroom is picked and the white pores of the fruiting body are scratched away to reveal the dark brown woody inside, creating a sort of natural canvas. This is where the artist can scrape away just enough to create scenes, images of people or nature, or anything else he or she can imagine. A simple search on the web can give you plenty of examples of artwork created with these mushrooms. These were photographed on the side of a tree just outside of La Push, Washington near Rialto Beach.
    Artist's Conk
  • A red belt conk (a type of shelf polypore mushroom) grows at the base of a dead tree in Montana's Glacier National Park on a wet summer morning. These very common mushrooms in forests can be found around the northern hemisphere mostly on dead conifers, and very occasionally deciduous or even sometimes on live trees. These mushrooms do play a vital role in breaking down old wood and helping recycle those nutrients for the forest to reuse.
    Red Belt Conk
  • Honey mushrooms (Armillaria sp.) growing near the summit of the heavily forested Little Mt. Si in North Bend, Washington, showing three distinctive phases of cap growth. As with many mushrooms, exact species are hard to distinguish and the taxonomy keeps changing, but luckily all of these honey mushrooms are edible and quite a commonly-collected type prized by forest foragers. It is advised that these be thoroughly cooked as these mushrooms are said to have variable levels of toxicity when eaten raw.
    Honey Mushrooms (Armillaria sp.)
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-10.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-9.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-8.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-7.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-5.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-4.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-3.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-1.jpg
  • A mature orange form of perhaps the world's most famous mushroom - the fly agaric -  growing halfway up the north face of Mount Rainier on one of the last days of summer. Normally bright red, this highly toxic mushroom can make anyone ingesting it extremely sick (and possibly fatally). This psychoactive fungus has had such an impact on most major cultures in the history of humans that it is mentioned in just about every culture's folklore and religious texts where it is found in the northern hemisphere.
    Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
  • The turkey-tail mushroom is a very common shelf mushroom found all over the world on dead wood in many different kinds of habitats all across North America. This one was found early in the morning in the Ocala National Forest in Central Florida and was the most stunning and beautiful example I've ever seen.
    Turkey-Tail
  • This "slimy-capped" mushroom is a very common late fall mushroom found along the Pacific coast from Northern California to Southern British Columbia. This one was photographed near Lake Ozette in Washington's Olympic National Forest.
    Cortinarius vanduzerensis
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-6.jpg
  • This very attractive, sometimes very orange, other-times very golden, slimy, spiky yet claimed-to-be-edible mushroom starts off as a small "spiky" ball growing on either deciduous or coniferous trees, then quickly matures into this form very common mushroom that is often found Western North America, Northern Europe. Japan and New Zealand. This one was found in great profusion during the October rains growing on the trunks of the hardwoods in Bellevue, Washington's Mercer Slough.
    Golden Scalycap-2.jpg
  • One of the world's most common mushrooms, the turkey tail mushroom is also one of the most beautiful. Typically found on rotting stumps, branches and decaying wood, these polypore mushrooms can be found in quite an amazing array of colors and hues. It has a long history of use by people, such as making blue and green dyes for clothing, being used to make a tasty tea and for a variety of medicinal uses. Recent clinical research shows that it may be useful for a variety of cancer treatments. This vibrant green colony was found growing alongside Mercer Slough in Bellevue, Washington.
    Turkey Tail
  • This emerging Leucocoprinus birnbaumii (more commonly known as the plantpot dapperling or flowerpot parasol) is an tropical to subtropical common mushroom that is more widely known for popping up in cultivated flowerpots in hothouses far north of its natural range. While considered to be toxic and nearly impossible to get rid of, it's best to just learn to enjoy their delicate beauty and try not to accidentally eat them. This one was found growing on some old wood in a hardwood hammock on Key Largo, Florida.
    Plantpot Dapperling (Leucocoprinus b..mii)
  • One of the world's most common mushrooms, the turkey tail mushroom is also one of the most beautiful. Typically found on rotting stumps, branches and decaying wood, these polypore mushrooms can be found in quite an amazing array of colors and hues. It has a long history of use by people, such as making blue and green dyes for clothing, being used to make a tasty tea and for a variety of medicinal uses. Recent clinical research shows that it may be useful for a variety of cancer treatments. This vibrant green colony was found growing alongside Mercer Slough in Bellevue, Washington.
    Turkey Tail
  • One of the world's most common mushrooms, the turkey tail mushroom is also one of the most beautiful. Typically found on rotting stumps, branches and decaying wood, these polypore mushrooms can be found in quite an amazing array of colors and hues. It has a long history of use by people, such as making blue and green dyes for clothing, being used to make a tasty tea and for a variety of medicinal uses. Recent clinical research shows that it may be useful for a variety of cancer treatments. This vibrant green colony was found growing alongside Mercer Slough in Bellevue, Washington.
    Turkey Tail
  • I found these cool little jelly mushrooms yesterday while looking for bigger Pacific Northwest fungus species to photograph. This unique and very interesting toothed jelly mushroom is found throughout the world and grows mostly on decaying coniferous wood. Although it is considered edible, it is reported to have almost no taste, and is often "candied" with sugar and sometimes other ingredients. This one was found in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near the Greenwater River, in the Cascade Mountains in Pierce County, Washington.
    Cat's Tongue
  • One of the world's most common mushrooms, the turkey tail mushroom is also one of the most beautiful. Typically found on rotting stumps, branches and decaying wood, these polypore mushrooms can be found in quite an amazing array of colors and hues. It has a long history of use by people, such as making blue and green dyes for clothing, being used to make a tasty tea and for a variety of medicinal uses. Recent clinical research shows that it may be useful for a variety of cancer treatments. This vibrant green colony was found growing alongside Mercer Slough in Bellevue, Washington.
    Turkey Tail
  • One of the world's most common mushrooms, the turkey tail mushroom is also one of the most beautiful. Typically found on rotting stumps, branches and decaying wood, these polypore mushrooms can be found in quite an amazing array of colors and hues. It has a long history of use by people, such as making blue and green dyes for clothing, being used to make a tasty tea and for a variety of medicinal uses. Recent clinical research shows that it may be useful for a variety of cancer treatments. This vibrant green colony was found growing alongside Mercer Slough in Bellevue, Washington.
    Turkey Tail
  • A fresh, new western shelf mushroom growing on a moss-covered stump in an virgin forest area in the Hoh Rain Forest. Sometimes known as chicken-of-the-woods, this mushroom is edible and eaten by many.
    Western Sulphur Shelf
  • Sometimes called the red-tinged lepiota, this attractive little mushroom is one of the first of the fall mushrooms found in the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest. This pair was found growing partially under a log near Coal Creek in Bellevue, Washington.
    Leucoagaricus rubrotinctoides
  • Mushrooms can be truly strange and weird-looking, but when it comes to the group known as elfin saddles, strange takes on a whole new meaning. Found across much of Northern Europe and parts of North America, this completely irregular white elfin saddle mushroom was one of many found in the heavily wooded Cascade Mountains in Washington State just southeast of Enumclaw on a chilly, rainy, November afternoon at mid-elevation.
    White Elfin Saddle (Helvella crispa)
  • Mushrooms can be truly strange and weird-looking, but when it comes to the group known as elfin saddles, strange takes on a whole new meaning. Found across much of Northern Europe and parts of North America, this completely irregular white elfin saddle mushroom was one of many found in the heavily wooded Cascade Mountains in Washington State just southeast of Enumclaw on a chilly, rainy, November afternoon at mid-elevation.
    White Elfin Saddle (Helvella crispa)
  • This unique and very interesting toothed jelly mushroom is found throughout the world and grows mostly on decaying coniferous wood. Although it is considered edible, it is reported to have almost no taste, and is often "candied" with sugar and sometimes other ingredients. This one was found in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near the Greenwater River, in the Cascade Mountains in Pierce County, Washington.
    Cat's Tongue
  • This unique and very interesting toothed jelly mushroom is found throughout the world and grows mostly on decaying coniferous wood. Although it is considered edible, it is reported to have almost no taste, and is often "candied" with sugar and sometimes other ingredients. This one was found in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near the Greenwater River, in the Cascade Mountains in Pierce County, Washington.
    Cat's Tongue
  • Usually a pale to semi-bright yellow, this small forest-loving mushroom is sometimes a grey-brown to a dark brown when it is found in conifer forests. These pale brown Mycena citrinomarginata mushrooms (no common name) were found growing in a clump about halfway up Washington's Rattlesnake Mountain on a damp and almost sunny Valentine's Day.
    Mycena citrinomarginata
  • Usually a pale to semi-bright yellow, this small forest-loving mushroom is sometimes a grey-brown to a dark brown when it is found in conifer forests. These pale brown Mycena citrinomarginata mushrooms (no common name) were found growing in a clump about halfway up Washington's Rattlesnake Mountain on a damp and almost sunny Valentine's Day.
    Mycena citrinomarginata
  • Mushrooms can be truly strange and weird-looking, but when it comes to the group known as elfin saddles, strange takes on a whole new meaning. Found across much of Northern Europe and parts of North America, this completely irregular white elfin saddle mushroom was one of many found in the heavily wooded Cascade Mountains in Washington State just southeast of Enumclaw on a chilly, rainy, November afternoon at mid-elevation.
    White Elfin Saddle (Helvella crispa)
  • This beautiful and delicate member of the oyster mushroom family is found throughout much of North America, most often found growing on rotting logs and stumps of hemlock trees and other conifers, such as this one growing in the Olympic National Park in the Hoh Rain Forest. Although sometimes expressed as edible, caution is advised because of a string of recent deaths as a result of angel wings mushrooms.
    Angel Wings
  • These "slimy-capped" mushrooms are a very common late fall mushroom found along the Pacific coast from Northern California to Southern British Columbia. This group was photographed among the trees on Washington's Cape Flattery.
    Cortinarius vanduzerensis
  • These fascinating bird's nest fungi found near the base of a huge waterfall in Oregon's Marion County, just east of Salem are one of the many natural curiosities found in the Pacific Northwest. While it may not look like it, these are actually an unusual type of mushroom, rather than a type of lichen. These still have their spores (they look like eggs in a nest) but will expel them with raindrops during a rainstorm, spreading their DNA on the forest floor for the next generation to spread and prosper.
    Bird's Nest Fungi
  • This beautiful and delicate member of the oyster mushroom family is found throughout much of North America, most often found growing on rotting logs and stumps of hemlock trees and other conifers, such as this one growing in the Olympic National Park in the Hoh Rain Forest.
    Angel Wings
  • I once heard a joke about this mushroom: "A very bad song by Madonna is improved immeasurably if you walk through the woods singing:<br />
'Lycoperdon, puffed for the very first time . . .'" I found this beauty growing in the forest just outside of Buckley, Washington.
    Common Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)
  • These fascinating bird's nest fungi found near the base of a huge waterfall in Oregon's Marion County, just east of Salem are one of the many natural curiosities found in the Pacific Northwest. While it may not look like it, these are actually an unusual type of mushroom, rather than a type of lichen. These still have their spores (they look like eggs in a nest) but will expel them with raindrops during a rainstorm, spreading their DNA on the forest floor for the next generation to spread and prosper.
    Bird's Nest Fungi
  • This great little oddball of the mushroom world looks just like a birds nest filled with eggs, even though it is only about half an inch wide. It is often found in groups on old berry canes, rotten wood, or rich soil, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, north to Alaska. This one was found past-season (November 2015) in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in mid-November near the Greenwater River in Washington's Cascade Mountains. In this photo you can see one "egg" (or peridiole) left in the nest - these spore-ladden reproductive structures are ejected by raindrops hitting the cup.
    Bird's Nest Fungus
  • With a name that can't help but invite a second glance, the dog vomit slime mold (also known as the scrambled egg slime) is a common plasmodial slime mold found all over the world on both rotting wood and the leaves and stems of living plants. Slime molds are a bit different from other fungi because they begin their life as a protoplasm as opposed to the more common thread-like structure that begin underground and appear as a fruiting body - what we commonly know as a mushroom. In Scandinavian folklore, the particular species is often associated with witchcraft, and is said to be the vomit of a witch's familiar after one has slurped up and spoiled their neighbors' milk. This one was found growing on a decaying, fallen tree in Washington's Hoh Rainforest in the Western Olympic Mountains.
    Dog Vomit Slime Mold
  • When this mushroom is just emerging, it appears to be encased in a slimy encasement. Cortinarius vanduzerensis is found along the Pacific Northwest's coastal coniferous forests in the late fall.
    Cortinarius vanduzerensis
  • A very common polypore mushroom found all over North America, I've found these beautiful fungi from the hot sandy pine scrubs of Central Florida to the wet forests of the Pacific Northwest. This one was photographed near the Florida-Georgia border in Chattahoochee, Florida.
    Turkey-Tail
  • This common mushroom is usually found growing with or among lichens on rotting logs, decaying wood, or in organically-rich soil. While regularly seen across most of the northern hemisphere, it is found most frequently closer to the Arctic. This one was found on Rattlesnake Mountain in Washington's Cascade Mountains.
    Lichen Agaric
  • This beautiful and inconspicuous small brown mushroom was found in a very wet morning on Mount Rainier.
    Inocybe mixtilis
  • This small brown mushroom found growing mid-summer in the subalpine regions of Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains has been listed as very dangerous if not fatal.
    Deadly Cort
  • This common mushroom is usually found growing with or among lichens on rotting logs, decaying wood, or in organically-rich soil. While regularly seen across most of the northern hemisphere, it is found most frequently closer to the Arctic. This one was found on West Tiger Mountain in Washington State.
    Lichen Agaric
  • This tiny, incredibly small bright yellow mushroom is common in Western Europe, but can be found in North America in cold, wet, montane environments. This one found on top of a moss-covered log next to the Greenwater River in Washington's Cascade Mountains among the patches of snow. It is purported that this species can even exhibit some bioluminescent properties in the dark!
    Yellowleg Bonnet (Mycena epipterygia)
  • A perfect specimen of the "old man of the woods" bolete mushroom (Strobilomyces strobilaceus) growing in Goethe State Forest in Central Florida. While edible, many say this native fungus to Europe and North America is delicious, while others say it tastes too much like the forest floor.
    Old Man of the Woods
  • These fascinating bird's nest fungi found near the base of a huge waterfall in Oregon's Marion County, just east of Salem are one of the many natural curiosities found in the Pacific Northwest. While it may not look like it, these are actually an unusual type of mushroom, rather than a type of lichen. These still have their spores (they look like eggs in a nest) but will expel them with raindrops during a rainstorm, spreading their DNA on the forest floor for the next generation to spread and prosper.
    Bird's Nest Fungi
  • Still wet from a recent rain, this common shelf mushroom grows on the side of a western hemlock tree in the damp foothills of Washington's Cascade Mountains, beautifully side-lit by the late afternoon/early evening golden light. Although inedible, it is a very important part of forest health, as it breaks down and feeds on old or dead trees, making these nutrients available after its own demise for future generations of trees and other forest plants.
    Red-Belted Polypore
  • The small, vivid fading scarlet waxy cap is a very beautiful and common mushroom found worldwide in forests, on rotting logs, lawns, and grasslands.
    Fading Scarlet Waxy Cap
  • The beautiful and possibly ominous scarlet waxy cap mushroom unexpectedly found while hunting orchids in Florida's Fakahatchee Strand in the Western Everglades.
    Scarlet Waxy Cap
  • The Red-belted polypore (or conk) mushroom is very striking member of the Aphyllophorales family.  Most often found on black cherry trees, it can often be found growing on conifers. This one was photographed on West Tiger Mountain, in Western Washington.
    Red-Belted Polypore
  • The strange and wonderful orange jelly mushroom grows on conifers and is found throughout North America in the spring and summer. For the brave - it is also edible, although it is recommended (not by me) to be boiled or steamed rather than applied to direct heat.
    Orange Jelly
  • This fuzzy foot mushroom was found on one of the many fallen/rotting logs that are found near the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds in Tallahassee, Florida just north of Interstate 10. I had a difficult time finding the correct identification for this one (at least I think I did  98% sure).
    Fuzzy-Foot
  • This puffball mushroom is very common and I see them all over the Southeast. This is just an example of  the beauty that Ive been walking past so frequently while looking for the big picture. Sometimes the beauty really is in the details!
    Pear-Shaped Puffball
  • Leopard slugs are an introduced species native to Southern Europe and have made their way around the world due to commercial shipping combined with their ability to thrive in multiple types of habitat. With a scientific name (Limax maximus) that literally means "biggest slug", it is one of the longest slugs (but not the biggest) and can live up to three years and reach a length of 6 to 8 inches. This one was found on a type of polypore mushroom called a red belt conk in deep in a forest Montana's Glacier National Park.
    Leopard Slug
  • Leopard slugs are an introduced species native to Southern Europe and have made their way around the world due to commercial shipping combined with their ability to thrive in multiple types of habitat. With a scientific name (Limax maximus) that literally means "biggest slug", it is one of the longest slugs (but not the biggest) and can live up to three years and reach a length of 6 to 8 inches. This one was found on a type of polypore mushroom called a red belt conk in deep in a forest Montana's Glacier National Park.
    Leopard Slug
  • This fuzzy foot mushroom was found on one of the many fallen/rotting logs that are found near the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds in Tallahassee, Florida just north of Interstate 10. I had a difficult time finding the correct identification for this one (at least I think I did - 98% sure).
    Fuzzy Foot (Xeromphalina campanella)
  • Leopard slugs are an introduced species native to Southern Europe and have made their way around the world due to commercial shipping combined with their ability to thrive in multiple types of habitat. With a scientific name (Limax maximus) that literally means "biggest slug", it is one of the longest slugs (but not the biggest) and can live up to three years and reach a length of 6 to 8 inches. This one was found on a type of polypore mushroom called a red belt conk in deep in a forest Montana's Glacier National Park.
    Leopard Slug
  • This puffball mushroom is very common and I see them all over the Southeast. This is just an example of  the beauty that I've been walking past so frequently while looking for "the big picture". Sometimes the beauty really is in the details!
    Pear-Shaped Puffball (Lycoperdon pyr..rme)
  • The fruiting body of the highly poisonous fly agaric emerges from the forest humus on Mount Rainier. Normally a bright red, some colonies (like the one this was part of) tend to be either orange or even white. There is a lot of taxonomical work being done currently with this group of mushrooms, and time will tell if many of these aren't reclassified as distinct species.
    Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
  • These inconspicuous little mushrooms get a very cool name from the fact that if you break the stems, they bleed a dark blood-red fluid. I found these growing inside of a dead tree (photographed here after pulling away some dead growth) on West Tiger Mountain - just twenty miles southeast of Seattle, Washington.
    Bleeding Fairy Helmet
  • Found throughout the mountainous forests of Asia, North America and Europe, these unusual mushrooms look a lot like human teeth growing out of the rich humus of the forest floor. These particular mushrooms were found growing under a massive western red cedar next to the Greenwater River in Washington's Cascade Mountains.
    Strap Coral
  • Mushrooms can be truly strange and weird-looking, but when it comes to the group known as elfin saddles, strange takes on a whole new meaning. Found across much of Northern Europe and parts of North America, this pair of completely irregular white elfin saddle mushrooms were found in the heavily wooded Cascade Mountains in Washington State just southeast of Enumclaw on a chilly, rainy, November afternoon at mid-elevation.
    White Elfin Saddles (Helvella crispa)
  • The odd little bright yellowish-orange cone-shaped mushrooms can be found growing out of the cracks on coniferous deadwood, stumps, logs from the Rocky Mountains and West, often found in spring when the snow is melting. This colony was photographed next to a waterfall on West Tiger Mountain  in Western Washington.
    Golden Jelly Cone
  • These fascinating bird's nest fungi found along a coastal trail in Oregon's Tillamook County on a winter hike are one of the many natural curiosities found in the Pacific Northwest. While it may not look like it, these are actually a mushrooms rather than lichens. These have already fruited and cast off their spores during a rainstorm, dropping their DNA on the forest floor for the next generation to spread and prosper.
    Bird's Nest Fungi
  • A fresh, beautiful example of these vibrant shelf mushrooms growing on a tree near La Push, Washington just into the trees on Rialto Beach.
    Western Sulphur Shelf
  • A pair of short-stocked suillus mushrooms beginning to emerge from the damp forested area near Silver Falls on Mount Rainier.
    Short-Stocked Suillus
  • This oyster-like cluster of hairy parchment mushrooms was found growing next to the wet, swampy ponds in the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge at the southern tip of Washington's Puget Sound.
    Hairy Parchment
  • This cluster of brittle and slightly aged mushrooms was found on the side of a hiking trail on West Tiger Mountain in Western Washington.
    Common Stump Brittlestem
  • The yellow-tipped coral is one of those odd and irregular-shaped mushrooms occasionally found in the wild. As many things in nature that are delicately beautiful, this is is known to be poisonous. This one was photographed in the fall on Mount Rainier.
    Yellow-Tipped Coral
  • These tiny mushrooms are very common in the mountain areas of the Pacific Northwest in the fall. These were photographed in a coniferous forest on Mount Rainier in Western Washington.
    Red-Orange Mycena
  • A massive bunch of western shelf mushrooms growing on the stump of a dead tree near the Hoh River in the Hoh Rainforest. This is by far the largest growth I've seen, and even though it was a bit beat and old, it was still worth taking this shot, for just the scope and size if nothing else.
    Western Sulphur Shelf
  • In all of the Pacific Northwest, there is perhaps no better place for finding wild mushrooms than in the Hoh Rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula. This olive wax cap was growing near the Hoh River at the edge of the forest.
    Olive Wax Cap
  • A scarlet fairy helmet sprouts in the forest near Cascade Pass in Northern Washington's North Cascades National Park at about 4000 feet in elevation.
    Scarlet Fairy Helmet
  • Deadly poisonous and sometimes fatal if eaten raw, and possibly containing carcinogens when cooked, this false morel can often be found growing alongside the highly sought after and edible true morels, proving once again we all need to be 100% certain what we are picking in the wild. This one was found in a heavily forested area near Lake Cushman in the Olympic National Forest.
    Gyromitra esculenta.jpg
  • This unidentified polypore was found growing in a very remote wetland location in northern Collier County, Florida on a pond apple tree in standing water. Unusual is the long stalk on which it is attached to the tree. My guess is that it is either G. tsugae or G. lucidum. I'll leave the description as it stands here until I find more information or someone out there can help on the identification.
    Ganoderma sp.
  • Ganoderma oregonense, and other closely-related members of the Ganoderma genus are much-revered for their medicinal properties in the East, where they've been used for millennia by the Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. as a cure for a plethora of symptoms and diseases. Found in supporting habitats all over the world (excluding Antarctica) this one was found growing in the Hoh Rainforest in Washington's Olympic Mountains.
    Ganoderma oregonense
  • This is a fully formed and mature Cortinarius vanduzerensis.  At the base of the stalk, it can (and usually does) develop a light purplish or lilac coloration. It is found along the Pacific Northwest's coastal coniferous forests in the late fall.
    Cortinarius vanduzerensis
  • The tiny Mycena clavicularis growing on a moss covered log on a chilly autumn morning on the forested slopes of Mount Rainier.
    Mycena clavicularis
  • Unique to the Pacific Northwest, this attractive pale peach-colored member of the Amanita genus (a relative of the infamous fly agaric) is mostly associated with Douglas firs and other pines. This one was found in a heavily forested area near Lake Cushman in the Olympic National Forest.
    Amanita aprica
  • One of the most surprising and unusual fungi species to find in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, this worm-like/coral-like white-to-yellow club fungus was only noticed as I stopped to re-tie a boot's laces in Mercer Slough in Bellevue, Washington. It is reportedly edible, yet also reported to be completely tasteless.
    Fairy Fingers
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