Fungi Tour at the UBNA (May 22)

Date and Time: May 22, 1:30pm
Location: Seattle, King County, WA
Weather: Mostly sunny about 55 degrees
Air Conditions: Relatively mild
Soil Conditions: Slightly moist

Today, we are having a tour on Fungi in the Union Bay Natural Area and out of all the Fungi discussed and discovered here, I found the Artist's Bracket Fungi the most interesting. Ross had led this part of the tour and we wandered of the trail into the forest. And it was in this hidden place that we saw about three Artist's Brackets on a horizontal log. The spore body of the Artist's Bracket are up to 12–16 inches across and they have a hard, woody-texture and are inedible, When they are still in the process of developing, they are fully white in color at first but soon turn into a dark red-brownish color. The Artist's Bracket it found colonizing on dead wood and older trees. This fungi got its name by having the ability to be as a drawing medium for artists. This is what I find most fascinating about this fungi, when the surface of the Artist's Bracket is rubbed or scratched with a sharp object, it changes from light to dark brown, making the scratch or design visible for as long as it lives. Artist's Bracket Fungi has been used for medical purposes from being able to cure colds, help cure cancers to being able to cure AIDS. The fungi is grounded and made into a tea that can cure these illnesses. Although, people may say it can cure these sicknesses, there are still many skeptics. I just love that this Fungi is very unique in that you could draw and use it as a canvas for works of art.

Publicado el junio 5, 2012 06:09 MAÑANA por ballev