Flaming Fungus

The large size and vibrant color of this flame fungus (Clavulinopsis sulcata) lured me in and I had to duck under some low sweeping hemlock branches in my kayak to get close to them.

It's a widespread fungus that can occur singly or in groups (gregarious!). The fruiting bodies we see may be club shaped initially, then spread outwards like a fan and droop downwards. It grows in leaf litter, aiding decomposition. I loved the reflection the fungus casts at the water's edge.

Much later in my paddle, I couldn't find my sunglasses, and it was only after having patted myself down and looked through my equipment, that I remembered how difficult it had been to scrape under the hemlock boughs earlier. I retraced my steps all the way back to the spot, sat in the shallows for a bit until the water stilled, and then spied them beneath the water - my sunglasses must have been perched on top of my head and knocked off as I scraped under the branches.