|
Some of these posts are very old and might contain outdated information. You may wish to search for newer posts instead.
|
TimmiT


Registered: 03/23/10
Posts: 5,303
Loc: Victoria
|
Victorian Floods and a few finds (with microscopy)
#13795428 - 01/16/11 06:08 AM (13 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
Some of you may have heard about the floods in Australia, especially in Queensland where there are 19 dead and more missing. Victoria wasn't hit as badly but thousands of homes were inundated when rivers and creeks flooded after a week of heavy rains. Thankfully there were no deaths in Vic.
The waterways around my home were all in flood, leaving me stuck at home for a few days. Rather than going crazy with cabin fever I went mushroom hunting in the few paddocks that were still above water. But first here are some pics of the floods...
A big puddle out the front

Flood waters
The road out

Bubbles coming from under the road

The aftermath (I love the first photo)

There weren't many mushrooms around because its the middle of summer, but here are a few finds... Mycenastrum corium found floating in the water

... an insect life raft

I recently bought a microscope so here are a couple of micrographs of the spores and spikey capillitial threads that are characteristic of Mycenastrum

Stropharia semiglobata

There were lots of Marasmius oreades popping up

A little Conocybe sp.

And finally this coprophilous Agrocybe sp.

It had really cool forked gills
Edited by TimmiT (01/17/11 07:42 AM)
|
elprawn
Mushroom Guestimator



Registered: 10/17/09
Posts: 14,303
Loc: Ilford, England
Last seen: 2 years, 1 month
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: TimmiT]
#13795488 - 01/16/11 06:40 AM (13 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
That Mycenastrum corium looks like either a huge conker or some sort of weird brain.
|
psylosymonreturns
aka Gym Sporrison



Registered: 10/16/09
Posts: 13,948
Loc: Mos Eisley,
Last seen: 3 years, 5 months
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: elprawn]
#13795951 - 01/16/11 09:48 AM (13 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
great pics Tim, thanks for sharing the experience we all are watching on the news. queensland looks really scary man, i am glad vic is all good.
do you think your dung loving Agrocybe could be a Stropharia luteonitens? the way that ones stem gets fatter at the apex reminds me of the pic in PMOTW.the gills dont look dark enough tho, its just a thought.
your little Conocybes are getting me stoked for my spring cyanopus flush coming soon!!
--------------------
|
St. Chibes
Shermanii


Registered: 02/11/10
Posts: 823
Loc: NC
Last seen: 8 years, 11 months
|
|
It sucks to hear about all of that flooding. It looks like it really screwed up the roads. At least you found some fungi!
Cool finds by the way. I like the "Agrocybe". You should put those spores under the scope if you have time.
--------------------
   Check out my Original Instrumental Piece: Photinus pyralis
|
HarryL
Squnä'am



Registered: 11/16/10
Posts: 8,070
Loc: Washington State
Last seen: 4 years, 8 months
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: St. Chibes]
#13796038 - 01/16/11 10:22 AM (13 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
Thanks for the report from down under... Been in Australia several times, really enjoyed the country and the people... The flooding has looked horrible, and I hope it's receding....
Nice photos... I know there are some mushrooms that seem to like flood plains...
Stay dry mate....
-------------------- Mushroom hunting: One bad mushroom can ruin your day! Know it or throw it.
|
Parkseerf


Registered: 01/31/10
Posts: 1,611
Loc: Louisiana
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: St. Chibes]
#13796041 - 01/16/11 10:23 AM (13 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
Thats some serious flooding man! Im glad you didnt get washed away! Nice way to go mushroom hunting and take advantage of the floods too . That Conocybe sp is really pretty
|
Oreganic
Connoisseur of Life



Registered: 02/08/10
Posts: 1,807
Loc: Orygun
Last seen: 5 years, 10 months
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: Parkseerf]
#13796435 - 01/16/11 11:57 AM (13 years, 15 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
Parkseerf said:
Thats some serious flooding man! Im glad you didnt get washed away! Nice way to go mushroom hunting and take advantage of the floods too . That Conocybe sp is really pretty
Almost word for word what I was ganna say... glad you're safe and have some mushrooms to help your land-locked self stay entertained! Picturesque little Conocybe you found!
--------------------
  __________________________________ In case you didn't know, The Shroomery holds a Picture of The Month poll each month and anyone is welcome to nominate pictures and vote! Keep it active folks!
|
Bobzimmer
Crawlin' Kingsnake



Registered: 09/07/08
Posts: 8,696
Loc: NY
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: Oreganic]
#13796607 - 01/16/11 12:43 PM (13 years, 14 days ago) |
|
|
Awesome thread, TimmiT!
I hope all of our Aussie Shroomerites fared ok...
-------------------- Mr. Mushrooms said: I will confess something that should be quite obvious, CC. I love mushrooms, i.e. fungi. I really do. I am talking about a strong feeling, i.e. emotion, for them. I think they are beautiful. I even dream of them.
|
TimmiT


Registered: 03/23/10
Posts: 5,303
Loc: Victoria
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: Bobzimmer]
#13800946 - 01/17/11 07:09 AM (13 years, 14 days ago) |
|
|
Thanks for all the comments everyone 
I did end up putting the Agrocybe under the scope and think it's something close to A. pediades (but my knowledge of Agrocybe is very limited). The interesting part is that it seems to be obligately coprophilous as I have only ever found them growing directly from manure. I believe its the same species as these ones that I found a few months ago.
Here's some of the microscopy anyway...
Spores eliptical with apical germ pore (spore print was chocolate brown)

Pileipellis hymeniform

Basidia

Cheilocystidia

Pleurocystidia

A huge pleurocystidium?
-------------------- "Reality leaves a lot to the imagination" ~ John Lennon
Edited by TimmiT (01/17/11 07:27 AM)
|
St. Chibes
Shermanii


Registered: 02/11/10
Posts: 823
Loc: NC
Last seen: 8 years, 11 months
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: TimmiT]
#13801116 - 01/17/11 08:58 AM (13 years, 14 days ago) |
|
|
Cool stuff TimmiT!
Did you mount in water or use a chemical?
--------------------
   Check out my Original Instrumental Piece: Photinus pyralis
|
TimmiT


Registered: 03/23/10
Posts: 5,303
Loc: Victoria
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: St. Chibes]
#13801166 - 01/17/11 09:17 AM (13 years, 14 days ago) |
|
|
Just water. I also had some methylene blue and eosin lying around, so stained a couple of slides with those to add some contrast.
-------------------- "Reality leaves a lot to the imagination" ~ John Lennon
|
St. Chibes
Shermanii


Registered: 02/11/10
Posts: 823
Loc: NC
Last seen: 8 years, 11 months
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: TimmiT]
#13801232 - 01/17/11 09:43 AM (13 years, 14 days ago) |
|
|
The reason I asked is, I was under the impression that to view the basidia, cystidia, ect., You would have to use a stain of some sort.
Now I'm going to go check out some stuff under the scope.
Thank you!
--------------------
   Check out my Original Instrumental Piece: Photinus pyralis
|
karode13
Tāne Mahuta




Registered: 05/19/05
Posts: 15,290
Loc: LV-426
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: St. Chibes]
#13806130 - 01/18/11 03:01 AM (13 years, 13 days ago) |
|
|
You only really need stains to see Hyaline(clear) features of certain mushrooms. It isn't a must but helps them to stand out and easier to see.
Nice shots TimmiT and great to hear you're not too affected by all this water laying about. Props on getting a scope too, one of the best buys I ever made.
Hope my neighbours in the North of the state are ok.
|
The Thinker

Registered: 09/01/10
Posts: 4,000
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: karode13]
#13810666 - 01/18/11 08:43 PM (13 years, 12 days ago) |
|
|
Nice microscopy
|
psylosymonreturns
aka Gym Sporrison



Registered: 10/16/09
Posts: 13,948
Loc: Mos Eisley,
Last seen: 3 years, 5 months
|
Re: Victorian Floods and a few finds [Re: The Thinker]
#13812822 - 01/19/11 07:24 AM (13 years, 12 days ago) |
|
|
Quote:
The Thinker said: Nice microscopy 
hells ya
--------------------
|
Lord Mayonnaise


Registered: 08/20/08
Posts: 1,284
Loc: Sub Country
|
|
Nice work TimmiT! 
I was thinking of a certain festival up your way but it seems all systems are go!
|
TimmiT


Registered: 03/23/10
Posts: 5,303
Loc: Victoria
|
|
Quote:
psylosymonreturns said:
Quote:
The Thinker said: Nice microscopy 
hells ya
Thanks 
Quote:
Lord Mayonnaise said: Nice work TimmiT! 
I was thinking of a certain festival up your way but it seems all systems are go!
That's good to hear, I have a few friends going. They would have been very soggy if it were last week. I've always wanted to go but it's so expensive and I'm not that big a fan of electronic music.
--------------------
A few more photos I forgot to include...

The roads are finally getting fixed in my area and most are now passable. The waters have continued down stream and towns in the north of the state are being flooded. It was/is the largest floods on record for Victoria (at least in the last 200 years). The weather has been bizare... with tropical heat and humidity... at the end of a decade long drought, though it's getting back to normal now (hot and dry). I believe 2 childern have now been confirmed dead after drowning in flood waters.
I was in one of the worst affected towns over the weekend to help with the relief effort. The entire town had been about 1m under water but there was relatively little structural damage (with a few exceptions). A large mud brick house had started to crumble and another had a horse float embedded into its wall. There were some spectacular sights but I thought it would have been inappropriate to bring a camera.
-------------------- "Reality leaves a lot to the imagination" ~ John Lennon
|
|