Fungi Friday - SLIME, POLYPORE & SOME WELL CAMOUFLAGED BUGS

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I took the following shots a few days ago ...

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... when I stopped by the road surrounded by woods, somewhere in between the city and my hometown, to eat a piece of poppy seed pie bought in the bakery at the edge of town, after doing some work in the city. It was a nice, sunny morning ... I was looking at the lush vegetation while chewing my piece of pie, and the forest looked very inviting ... I had the sensation that there is something there for me, so I decided to stretch my legs a bit when I finish eating.

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After the short walk along the path that leads through the forest, just about 50 meters or so ...

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... I noticed some vividly colored slimy stuff on the bark of some old oak tree overgrown with ivy.

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I don't know the exact species of this jelly - like fungi ... maybe is the Dacrymyces chrysospermus ... or Tremella aurantia ... something like that, I don't have much expirience with this kind of fungi, I encounter them very rarely here in my area.

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This piece of jelly stood out from the rest, it looked almost like some alien animal.

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With all that colorful jelly stuff in front of my eyes. I didn't notice at first this pretty big Ganoderma applanatum that looked like some strange folding of the tree's own bark, when seen from above.

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From this lower prospective the mushroom is more visible ... and in fact, I noticed it while crouched, after taking enough photographs of the jelly - like formations underneath.

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This is a Saprobic and sometimes parasitic fungi that grows alone or in groups, usually on decaying logs and stumps, or (less often) from the wounds of injured, living trees ... that will die sooner with the Ganoderma applanatum on them. These pretty large fruiting bodies are perennial and hard as wood.

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While exploring the upper side of the mushroom, I noticed some strange little fragments ... that looked like desiccated plant parts, small dead leaves or seeds ...

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... only after a better look through the macro lens ... and with a flash to light up the gloomy atmosphere in the deep shade on the forest floor ...

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... I realized that I was looking at the mating pair of some well camouflaged bugs ... and this morning, while preparing this post, I learned that this are the Aradus depressus flatbugs (Aradidae family)

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It was a very exciting encounter because I never saw this interesting species before. These bugs live under the bark of trees infested by fungi. Both nymphs and adults prefer birch, but they can also be found on other trees, like oaks and elms.

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Here you can see the wingless nymph of this species ... and on the following, enlargeable photograph ...

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... you can take a better, enlargeable look at the same nymph. And that's it ... I'm very happy that I can present something for this Fungi Friday, because usually I don't see fungi related stuff in this period of the year here in my area ... as always in these posts on HIVE, the photographs are my work - THE END.

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17 comments
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the slime mold looks quite unique.

and that little insect beautiful also looks quite unique and you are thorough enough in hunting that you can see insects which are almost the same color as the tree trunk.

interesting ..

my greetings @deltasteem from Indonesia.

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Thank you. :) I was lucky to find those insects that I never saw before. They are usually hidden under the bark.

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I think that's how small insects live in the open too.

I myself realize that in hunting in the open we must always be Be thorough, otherwise ... maybe they will be overlooked and little by little we will know the character of insect life.

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I really liked the photo of the mushroom, you are lucky to have a serca forest and be able to show us its wonders. Thank you.

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super cool bugs! were they... er... copulating?..

!PIZZA, pizza arrived to the Hive :) :) :)

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Hehehe yes :) it was that kind of action. Thanks for the fungi pizza !

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What planet did you go to for these shots? Looks like an episode of Star Trek.

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Hehehe :) just about 5 kilometers from the city ... some small details in the ordinary woods really look surreal.

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Is this an alien nest? A very interesting alien life form) By the way, I will devote the next week to Cerioporus squamosus, I already ate them this year)

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Wow... That was a lot of things that I never seen before 😉
That yellow slime thingy.. Mold sure looks crazy and I never seen anything like it, Great shots close up on them.
Also that bug really looked unique and weard, never seen before.
Really cool that you get to capture all this 😁 loved it.

Have a wonderful Friday. Cheers 🍄

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Thanks :) I saw the jelly and those bugs for the first time as well. Always something new to discover in nature ... and in general. Have a great Saturday.

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Your pictures are a revelation. The Jelly Creature! The mating flatbugs! The bashful nymph. Would I ever have seen any of these without your careful eye and practiced camera lens?

Thank you for an adventure in the woods.

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:) I saw these things for the first time as well. I saw some jelly fungi stuff, but never so colorful and alien - looking like this ... and I wasn't aware of the existence of this kind of bugs ... I read that they spend most of their life invisible under the bark ... it's a great joy to find something exciting when I don't expect it, while driving home from the city.

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