Monomad: Porcupine Quills

These pictures were taken on a mushroom walk today. When we entered a local forest, my eyes fell on porcupine quills embedded in rotting wood.

Actually, those weren't real porcupine quills, but large clusters of coral mushrooms (Clavariaceae sp.)

The texture of this mushroom is like bristles if you touch it—a bit soft at the ends but hard at the base.

Instead of calling it a coral mushroom, I'm more interested in calling it porcupine quills because of the mushroom's physique.

Besides being physically unique, this mushroom is quite helpful for me when I am attacked by ferocious forest mosquitoes. I casually rub the fungus on my skin to reduce itching. But I don't recommend you do the same. You only need to bring anti-mosquito lotion whenever you enter the forest.