Organism of the day #8

Name:
Poison Ivy

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Toxicodendron radicans

KINGDOM:
Plantae

ENDANGERMENT:
Least concern

RANGE:
In North America, poison ivy can be found abundantly in Canada and the United States. Hell, the ivy has even been found in some mountains of Mexico (up to 5000 feet above sea level). In the USA, the ivy grows prevalently in the east, having a spread from Florida north to New York and Vermont or Maine. It thrashes west to South (but not North) Dakota and south once more to the state of Texas. As far as the westward spread, that marks where the poison ivy ends. However, it has isolated populations in Arizona (but seldom recorded in Colorado or New Mexico, which is interesting to note because it would seem that those areas are of necessity for poison ivy to have been able to breach into Arizona). And just as many other previously recorded fungi and plants before it, the poison ivy specimens exist in Canada, but only in Ontario and Quebec. Possibly in ages past, the poison ivy got across the pacific ocean to coastal Asian areas. Populations occupy Taiwan, Hong Kong, and central China.

ALL STATES IT OCCUPIES (abbreviation):
AL, AR, AZ, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NY, OH, NJ, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV

HABITAT:
The poison ivy is not picky when it comes to places to live and thrive. It very much enjoys anthropogenic areas or forests. The poison ivy relies on full or partial sunlight to grow, so the ivy is found in the areas of forests where the three line breaks, where the sun’s bright shine filters through and gives the poison ivy the necessary nutrients. Outside of forests, it prefers other exposed rocky areas or open fields. It’s not biased towards any specific soil moisture and even grows in some very acidic soils, having a soil pH of up to 6.0. Despite this lack of pickiness, the poison ivy will not grow in a desert or arid environment, or an environment with a high carbon dioxide level. The ivy is also partial to areas with occasional seasonal flooding

AUTHORS NOTE:
Outside of the screen, I live in a very highly suburban area of Colorado. Near my house, the terrain is extremely strange. There’s a dip in the land where water runs through in the spring. On the other side is an area switching between open fields and dense forests giving a home to deer and coyote. In the golden open fields, a seed-bearing plant thrives and colors the earth gold. Over the past year, less water has been running in the normally dirty dip, allowing for vegetation to grow. Now, on the side with the houses there once laid a large patch of poison ivy. Due to the new competition of land with the other weeds, and the fact that the competing weeds came over in winter, the ivy was unable to survive and have since died (except for the appropriately named “garden of Weeden”)

DESCRIPTION:
The poison ivy appears in a variety of circumstances, making it hard to provide a definite description when it comes to things like average size and shape. The deciduous leaves of poison ivy have three almond-shaped leaflets (smaller leaves that compose the large leaf). The leaf color is a light to dark green, that darkens with age. They turn bright red in the fall or while expanding. Throughout their life, they cycle between the colors green, yellow, orange, and red. They’re also reportedly shiny. Each leaflet is 3-12 cm (1.2-4.7 in) long with some able to get a foot (30 cm) long. The leaflets are ridged with teeth on the edge with a smooth surface. The plant has no thorns. Instead, it likes to deliver its poison through different means

POISON:
The allergic reaction produced through contact with a poison ivy plant is from a chemical called urushiol, which has caused anaphylaxis (extreme swelling of the face and throat) in some cases. It also sparks a rash or blisters that last five to twelve days, or near a month in some cases. Annually, 350,000 victims in the US alone receive urushiol through poison ivy, That is the same number of people as the population of Iceland. It's the sap produced from poison ivy that contains the urushiol that leads to the caustic effects

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxicodendron_radicans
https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=tora2
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c261
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=tora2
https://gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/toxicodendron/radicans/

IMAGE:
A massive wall of poison ivy

Organism of the day #7

NAME:
Welwitschia, informally referred to as the living fossil

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Welwitschia mirabilis

FUN FACT:
Welwitschia mirabilis is named after Austrian botanist Fredrich Welwitsch, who was the first European to record the Welwitschia

KINGDOM:
Plantae

CONSERVATION STATUS:
Vulnerable. The specimens found in Angola are more heavily protected than those located in Namibia, where the only other known populations are found. The reason for this is the leftover landmines from times gone that linger in Angola, which can deter any humans or animals, to say the least. In addition, the growth rates of Welwitschia are slow, like the previously colored Rafflesia. This slow growth rate and lack of external protection make them highly vulnerable to grazing from animals and disease, including some attacks from the fungi kingdom that reduces seed visibility in female Welwitschia cones. Less notable threats include off-road vehicles, the rapid spread of other plants, and overgrazing from zebras and rhinos.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
The Welwitschia bears two foliage leaves that crow continuously from a small plant cell from which the fossil grows. The leaves can reach up to 4 meters (13 ft), enough to put the Rafflesia’s huge bloom or the great flying fox’s wingspan to shame. The tips of leaves appear frayed and branch into well-separated strap-shaped sections. The root system of Welwitschia is a complex system of delicate spongy roots with a single woody stem. The roots reach as deep at the leaves are long (from tip to tip). Welwitschia changes minimally with age, which is a strange thing to note about Welwitschia. Welwitschia is an extremely long surviving specimen, some reaching between one and two thousand years of age.

DISTRIBUTION:
Welwitschia exists exclusively in the African countries of Namibia and Angola, where it grows along the coast of the countries in the Namib desert. Populations exist along two rivers: the Bentiaba River in southern Angola and the Kuiseb River in Namibia. It can be as far inland as 100 km (62 mi) from the coast

HABITAT:
The area this plant occupies is extremely arid, the coast recorded as having nearly zero annual inches of rainfall, with the more rainy areas getting 100 mm (3.9 in) between February and April. Because of this, Welwitschia relies on growing above underground water streams or using precipitation from fog. The leaves typically grow at a rate of 8-15 cm a year, which is slow considering the size. But, the Welwitschia relies on what little it has to grow

SOURCES:
https://benthamopen.com/contents/pdf/TOPSJ/TOPSJ-7-39.pdf
https://www.info-namibia.com/activities-and-places-of-interest/swakopmund-surrounds/welwitschia-mirabilis
https://www.conifers.org/we/Welwitschiaceae.php
http://pza.sanbi.org/welwitschia-mirabilis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welwitschia
http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_welwitschia.html

IMAGE:
Welwitschia by its lonesome in the expansive Namib desert

Organism of the day #6

NAME:
Stinking corpse lily, or Rafflesia

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Rafflesia arnoldii

KINGDOM:
Walking the edge of Plantae and Fungi, but identified as Plantae

FUN FACT:
The mystical Rafflesia is a flower. One without leaves, roots, or a stem.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
Endangered

SIZE AND PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
The captivating Rafflesia is the largest known individual flower on earth, meaning it grows completely alone. The creepy flower bursts from its host tree’s bark, being up to a whopping 1 meter in diameter, weighing up to 11 kilograms (24 lbs). The monstrous flower possesses red-brown flesh that occasionally bears white spots. Similarly, the petals are a maroon red and littered in white spots. In the center of the flower, there’s a depression that can be several inches deep. The plant forms from buds that are around 30 cm (1 ft) wide, with the largest bud (also the largest bud ever found) being 43 cm or 1’ 5”. However, more of the flower lies beneath the surface. With its properties, it would seem like the plant would be a fungus. The plant develops with thread-like strands penetrating deep into the host plant. It only emerges from its host when it's ready to reproduce. Funnily enough, the only thing that marks this plant as a plant is the plant-like flowers, which themselves are odd because of the massive proportions.

STENCH:
Like another monstrous flower, the corpse flower, the Rafflesia emits a putrid stink when in full bloom, one that smells of rotting flesh. The horrid stink is in place to attract flies to pollinate the flower, which is attracted by the smell of rotting flesh.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFE CYCLE:
The Rafflesia is a very rare specimen and finds itself fairly difficult to locate in the flowers it seeks refuge within. This is attributed to the disadvantageous reproduction, where buds take months to develop, bearing a flower that lasts only a few days, limiting the time it has to reproduce. It also relies heavily on specimens of the opposite sex to be within proximity. These straining factors result in the event of successful pollination being rather rare. When Rafflesia finds itself ready to reproduce, a small Rafflesia bud forms outside the root or stem of the host plant and develops throughout the course of a year. The head develops, resembling the appearance of a small red cabbage and eventually blooms to form the monster flower. Within the flower, a stigma is attached to a spiked disk that emits a foul odor to attract flies and beetles for pollination. However, this pollination relies on the insects visiting a male and female Rafflesia. The plant also generates a fruit that produces hundreds of seeds. It serves as a meal for local treeshrews, that also spread the fruit

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafflesia_arnoldii
https://www.britannica.com/plant/monster-flower
http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:316069-1
https://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/flower.html
http://www.rafflesiaflower.com/

IMAGE:
Rafflesia growing on a host’s root

Organism of the day #5
And I said I'd do less fungi

NAME:
Werewere-kokako. The name was given to the mushroom by the Polynesian Maori population of New Zealand.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Entoloma hochstetteri

KINGDOM:
Fungi

SIZE AND PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
The mushroom’s cap may be up to 4 cm in diameter with a steep, cascading cap shape. The cap’s color is an enchanting blue, like the remainder of the fungus. The thin gills are attached to the cap and usually thin, being a mere 3-5 mm wide, occasionally bearing a yellowish tint on top of the already mystical blue color. The mushrooms stipe is long and thin, being only up to 5 cm long and 0.5 cm thick, but it’s still enough to support the equally small cap. The mushroom has a contrasting pink spore print when a test is conducted. The spores themselves are a mere 9.9-19.2 micrometers by 8.8-13.2 micrometers and in the shape of a club

FUN FACT:
The fungus has appeared on several New Zealand banknotes and stamps

FUN FACT:
Scientists do not know why science has turned this fungus blue, but researchers claim it could be crucial to the food industry as a way to produce natural blue food coloring

RANGE:
Isolated populations of this rather enigmatic mushroom exist strictly within the northern and southern New Zealand islands. Oddly, small populations have been recorded inhabiting the country of India.

CHEMICAL INFORMATION:
Until recently, no information about this mushroom has been reliably found. Recently, a University has signed a deal with European food industries to find the potential economic benefits of the fungus. One such property noted is that the fungus turns green when exposed to oxygen. This is important information because if the fungus was used on food products it could identify if the product has been exposed to oxygen in some fashion. Extensive research also has identified that the fungus features the presence of alkaloids and Omega 3 fatty acids. The presence of alkaloids help to more deeply understand the effects (and possible consequences) of consumption. Alkaloids stimulate or depress the human brain. Examples of alkaloids include Caffeine, cocaine, and LSD. This discovery introduces some confusing information because it suggests the mushroom has hallucinogenic properties. However, its also not uncommon to locate alkaloids in safe plants and fungi

HABITAT:
Habitat information about this fungus has not been heavily studied, but its somewhat common in low altitude conifer forests.

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoloma_hochstetteri
http://www.terrain.net.nz/friends-of-te-henui-group/fungi-te-henui/blue-mushroom-entoloma-hochstelleri.html
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9354061/Mushroom-might-yield-major-value
http://www.hiddenforest.co.nz/fungi/family/entolomataceae/entol11.htm
https://bie.ala.org.au/species/NZOR-6-1342

READ FURTHER:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9354061/Mushroom-might-yield-major-value
https://www.forestfloornarrative.com/blog/2018/5/18/fungi-friday-the-rarity-of-the-color-blue-in-nature-entoloma-hochstetteri

IMAGE:
A single specimen resting in a dense forest’s loose debris

Organism of the Day #4
#education

NAME:
Mastodon, meaning nipple tooth.

FUN FACT:
Mastodons are completely separate animals from Mammoths

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Mammut

KINGDOM:
Animalia

CONSERVATION STATUS:
Extinct

SIZE:
The mastodon of earlier ages was massive, much like the modern-day elephants we see in Asia and Africa. The common female mastodon was around 2.3 meters (7’ 7”) at the shoulders. The larger males of the species could peak at 2.8 meters (9’ 2”) tall at the shoulders. Among some of the heaviest specimens recorded include specimen AMNH 9950, who was found to be 2.89 m (9’ 6”) tall and weighed 7.8 tons. Another unnamed fossil was 3.25 m (10’ 9”) tall and weighed a whopping 22000 lbs or 11 tons. The mastodons were also drenched in a thick fur, like its mammoth relative

NOTES:
The mastodons were herbivores, as told by fossilized jaws, which are lined with blunt and dull molars, specialized for breaking down plant matter and even the branches from trees.

DIFFERENTIATING FEATURES OF MASTODONS VS MAMMOTHS:
Foremost, mastodons are significantly older than mammoths and roamed a different part in the world. Whereas the mammoths appeared near 5 million years ago roaming Africa, the mastodon reigned 27-30 million years ago in North and Central America. Unfortunately, mammoths survived long enough through the years to have their population be hunted to near extinction from primal humans. Compared to mammoths, mastodons also have additional differences in biology. The heads of the great beasts were flatter, with the tusks positioned in a different way that the tusks of the mammoths. The mastodons were also shorter, with smaller legs to support the huge mass of the beasts. However, the most critical difference to note is the difference between the teeth. The mammoths were more suited for grazing like modern elephants whereas mastodons, as previously mentioned, were able to crush vegetation with great force.

RANGE:
The exact range of the animals is relatively unknown due to the only information having to go off of being conclusions reached through fossil evidence. What is known is that mastodons roamed all across America during the Late Pleistocene era. Mastodon fossil sites exist in a wide range, from as far north as Alaska to as east and as south as Florida and up to New England. The mastodons, however, chose to not adventure into South America.

SOURCES:
https://www.livescience.com/34446-mammoth-or-mastodon.html
https://www.livescience.com/56708-mastodon-facts.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/facts-about-mastodons-1093330
https://www.britannica.com/animal/mastodon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mastodon

NOTE:
To continue this thriving, I would enjoy some input from all like 1 person that actually reads all the way through. It is hard to find thematic specimens to conduct posts on so if you happen to be reading this and want to know more about any organism, inform me. If there’s enough information available, it will most likely happen

IMAGE:
Illustration from the encyclopedia Britannica comparing the size of the mastodon, mammoth, and elephant.

Organism of the day #3
#education #halloween
Happy Halloween!

NAME:
Pumpkin

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Cucurbita pepo

KINGDOM:
Plantae

SIZE AND PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
These round fruits tend to be very large, weighing 4-8 kilograms (9-18 lbs) or more usually. The color of the fruits are typically yellow to orange with variations based on the type of gourd. The orange rind often looks like the interior of an orange, being ribbed. The stem at the top of the pumpkin is typically hard and wood and displaced at an angle at the top of the plant. The fruits mature in autumn, hence their appearance in American holidays like Thanksgiving or the more international Halloween.

FUN FACT:
The pumpkin variety of C. maxima can achieve up to 34 kg (75 lbs) in weight. The most massive pumpkin ever recorded being grown breached 907 kg (1 ton) in weight.

RANGE (NATIVE):
The native pumpkins can be found growing in the southern United States, being found in Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, each Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, and most notably Kansas. Specimens of the pumpkin can be recorded in virtually every inch of the state in Kansas. It’s good to note that the pumpkin has been introduced into large eastern cities of Canada and native populations also exist in Mexico and other Central American countries

HISTORY OF THE JACK-O’-LANTERN:
Not just a florescent fungus, the Jack O’ Lantern has been a staple of Halloween for centuries. In Europe, old stories told the tale of an individual named Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack, according to the tale, invited the Devil to drink with him. And, as his name implies, Jack was disgusted at the idea of paying for himself and the Devil. Jack convinced the Devil to change his form to resemble that of a coin, which Jack then kept in his pocket next to a silver cross that would prevent the lord of evil from turning back into his previous form. Jack freed the Devil under the condition that the Devil shall not bother Jack for a year and shall not claim his soul upon his death. The next year, Jack convinced the devil to climb up a tree and while in the branches of the tree, Jack carved a cross into the trunk, preventing Satan from descending. Jack let him come down under the same conditions as last year. Before the next year came around, Jack had died but God would not allow Jack into heaven for his stinginess. The Devil, keeping his word, would not allow Jack to go to Hell. Jack was banished to an eternal limbo of darkness, nothing to light his way but a lump of coal, which Jack put into a hollow turnip and became known as “Jack of the Lantern”

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucurbita_pepo
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=279566&isprofile=0&
https://www.britannica.com/plant/pumpkin
http://www.hsgpurchasing.com/Articles/pumpkin.htm
https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CUPE

IMAGE:
A pumpkin thats had a frightening face carved into it for a festive Jack O’ Lantern on Halloween

Organism of the day #2
#education #halloween

NAME:
Large Flying fox

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Pteropus vampyrus

KINGDOM:
Animalia

ENDANGERMENT:
Near-threatened. The massive bat has no cataloged predators, other than humans

LIFESPAN:
15 to 30 years in captivity, around 15 years in the wild

SIZE:
While hanging, the length of the bat is 11 to 13 inches (27 to 32 cm) and it weighs 1.4 to 2.4 lbs (0.65 to 1.1 kilograms). These bats have an almost surreal wingspan of 1.5 meters, or 4 feet and 11 inches, roughly the size of a 5th grader. Male specimens experience a slight sexual dimorphism, having thicker coats of fur than the females of the species

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:
Head- The head of the bat is almost dog or fox-like in its features. The ears are pointed and the skull of the creature is very strong with 34 teeth in the jaw of the creature. The fur of the creature gets shorter closer to the head area. The fur here is often different from the remainder of the body, being a more red or orange color with blackened features near the snout and ears
Body- The body of the bat is covered in dark-colored hairs that are longer and more wooly than that of other bats. In addition to the fur thickness, males’ fur color is also different than that of females with juveniles having a dull grey-brown color that enriches into a brownish color with maturity.
Arms- The arm bones of the bat bear special adaptations that allow the beast to fly. The bones are thin and very long, bending at the elbows. At the end of the arm, there are long and skinny finger bones that support a membranous flap of skin, the wings of the creature that span on for nearly 5 feet

HABITAT:
The large flying foxes find themselves most at home in the deep forests and humid swamps of southeastern Asia and Oceania. The mammals have found themselves using agricultural areas as grounds to forage for what it may be that local farmers have provided for them. The flying foxes make homes in various food providing places of the forests, such as near mangrove, coconut, or mixed fruit trees. The bats mainly like lowland areas such as around 365 meters above sea level in places like Malaysia.

BEHAVIOR:
Like many other bats, these humongous bats are highly social using a cacophony of squeaking to communicate with other flying foxes. They live in groups that can breach numbers in the thousands, with feeding groups ranging in size between just two foxes to fifty. These bats are nocturnal and leave their grounds just after the sun sets over the horizon to feed, with some individuals traveling 50 kilometers to reach the feeding grounds. Oddly, the bats do not vocalize with brethren during flight. When they reach the grounds, they perch at the tips of branching upright and fall upside-down to feast on delicious fruits. Being mainly herbivores and frugivores these bats love to dine on meals of bananas, mangos, leaves, nectar, pollen, and flowers. At these eating grounds, there can occasionally be unfamiliar bats attempting to fly in for a meal along with the stranger colony, in which the colony engages some highly defensive mannerisms and screech at the perpetrator until the stranger sees himself out. They also expand their wings and do growls to deter the unwelcome guests.

SOURCES:
https://www.animalspot.net/large-flying-fox.html
https://www.thainationalparks.com/species/large-flying-fox
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pteropus_vampyrus/
https://owlcation.com/stem/Flying-Foxes-of-Asia-Fascinating-Bats

IMAGE:
The large flying fox in flight, like a phantom in the daytime

Organism of the day #1
#education #halloween

NAME:
Netted Rhodotus

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Rhodotus palmatus

ORDER:
Agaricales

FAMILY:
Physalacriaceae

RANGE:
This netted fungus is a rare find, being found exclusively in the Northern hemisphere of the world, being found preferring the colder climates. Of the western hemisphere, specimens only exist in Canada and the US. In Canada, the specimen has been found in southern Alberta, above Montana to the south and rather close to Saskatchewan to the east. To the east of Saskatchewan, a specimen was located in Mantora, just a little while north of Minnesota in the US. Nearing the border of the US, specimens have appeared in two very notable Canadian cities, Toronto in Ontario and Ottawa, near the border of Quebec and Ontario. Trailing south into the United States, isolated populations appear in New York, Louisiana, Kansas, and Nebraska. The population begins to noticeably grow as specimens are seen in many northeastern states like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. In these areas, the mushroom is grown between June and September. Specimens are absent in South America and do not reappear until Europe. Populations have been located in London, Paris, Moscow, Rome, and some larger areas like the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal. Aside from the previously mentioned locations (or near those locations), the mushroom has remained absent from any noted recordings of the specimen.

HABITAT:
The mushroom stakes its claim on decaying hardwood trees, often maple and elm. The mushroom appears with stalks growing from within the host in which it lives on. It’s always seen as an individual mushroom or in groups with fellow mushrooms of the same species. Like many other fungi, even some of the oldest and largest, this mushroom in saprobic. Being saprobic in the context of a fungus means that it collects its nutrients to survive from decomposing organic matter, present in the previously mentioned maple trees. The fungus thrives on areas periodically flooded that receive minimal sunlight, like under the forest canopies. The light requirements for this fungus to bear its fruiting body is unlike other fungi. These mushrooms like to fruit in areas saturated in light from the red end of the visible light spectrum, unlike the widely preferred blue end.

DESCRIPTION:
This striking mushroom bears an appearance that somehow reeks of familiarity but also an alien-like wonder with the veins present on the cap and the brown to red ‘blood’ that sometimes oozes from the mushroom, similarly to the previously covered bleeding tooth fungus. The fungus’ skin is rough and rigged, the ‘veins’ creating pits. The whole mushroom is pink in color to a yellow-orange on the cap, which has a small diameter of 1-2”. Nearing the stumpy stalk it becomes a more reddish pink to white. The stalk is just as long as the cap, being 1-2” (2.5-5 cm) long from base to top, The stalk is also only ⅛-¼” thick (3-5 mm).

SOURCES:
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/481482-Rhodotus-palmatus
https://www.mushroomexpert.com/rhodotus_palmatus.html
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
https://www.messiah.edu/Oakes/fungi_on_wood/gilled%20fungi/species%20pages/Rhodotus%20palmatus.htm

IMAGE:
A maturing Rhodotus palmatus growing on decaying wood. Note the brown sap being excreted

Fungus of the day #17 (imitation week)
#education

NAME:
Dye-maker’s false puffball. It’s also crudely called the dog turd fungus, horse dung fungus, dead man’s fist, or dead man’s foot but let’s not think about that part.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Pisolithus tinctorius

ORDER:
Boletales

FAMILY:
Sclerodermataceae

RANGE:
Widely distributed in North America and appearing in several parts of Europe, South Africa, Asia, and Australia. In America, it grows between July and October in its preferred habitat. It’s found in the American states of Wisconsin, Mississippi, Florida, Massachusetts, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Illinois, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and that’s only naming a fraction of the states that house this fungus. Extremely dense populations of this mushroom exist to the west, notably in California. The spread goes as far south as scattered specimens present in Mexico and Guatemala, but stops before South America, having no recorded specimens of the entire South American continent. Going east to Africa, dense populations exist in southern South Africa, with some appearing as far north as close to the border of South Africa and Mozambique (‘ere). Other than South Africa, a single specimen has been located in Africa, in the small country of Burkina Faso, meaning that populations of this mushroom are rare in Africa. South to Europe, rare specimens can be found near the coasts of Italy, or in some cases on the islands around Italy. Some mushrooms have been reported near London, in England and down to Portugal, near the coast. Going even further east, the population dwindles more as recorded specimens exist only in Russia, Mongolia, China, Australia, and Pakistan.

HABITAT:
The mushroom is partial to growing in areas that are sandy, much like yesterday’s false morel. Also similar to yesterday’s morel, the puffball occurs frequently where there is a disturbance and exists either in the open or in shade. Some examples of the areas it grows in include open woods, old pastures, lawns, and areas densely packed with pine trees, even including some schools near the coast if they feature pine trees around the property. They grow either on their lonesome or in clusters with other false puffballs. The first recordings of this puffball come from the aforementioned coastal states, as well as Indiana and Kentucky. The mushroom is known to have spores plant in the ground but overwinter until a time when the climate increases and becomes warmer.

DESCRIPTION:
The mushroom is, as the crude names imply, reminiscent of dung or cadavers, as far as color is concerned, It’s large and powdery-brown with a broad top. The fungus is club or pear-shaped. It does not bear a cap. The mushroom is 2-4” (5-10 cm) wide and 2-8” (5-20 cm) high. The mushroom is thick and bulbous near the direct top of the fungus, decreasing in size going further down the mushroom. It’s shiny at the start of the stalk, becoming more powdery as your eyes adventure vertically up the mushroom. The reason the top half is so large in comparison to the stalk is that the huge ball is known as the spore mass, where spores are stored. In a way, the spore mass is the puffball mushroom’s fruiting body. It’s whitish to brown occasionally showing off an odd skin formation that gives the spore mass a look that resembles scales of a reptile. The microscopic spores are round and spiky, leaving a cinnamon brown color on a piece of paper when a spore print examination is conducted

USES:
As the name implies, the mushroom can be used to produce a fungus-based dye. The dyes manufactured from the mushroom are often produced in Europe and can be made into brilliant colors spanning far across the spectrum of colors from golden-brown to black.

SOURCES:
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (book)
http://www.mushroomexpert.com/pisolithus_arenarius.html (website)
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/63833-Pisolithus-tinctorius (website)
https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/jun2003.html (website)

IMAGE:
The fungus, photographed in a way emphasizing its scale-like structures

Fungus of the day #16 (imitation week)
#education

NAME:
Conifer false morel

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Gyromitra esculenta

ORDER:
Pezizales

FAMILY:
Discinaceae

EDIBILITY:
Poisonous

LOOK-ALIKES:
Many true morels look like the false morels that so often try to impersonate them. On the outside, there are no evident differences between true and false morels, but it’s a matter of what lies within the mushroom. The caps of the deadly false morels are hollow, compared to the honeycomb structure of the edible true morels

RANGE:
Widespread, albeit seldom recorded. The morel is very localized in Britain and Ireland. Most of the reports of the morel originate from Europe, as far east as Turkey. In the USA the morel is located during April and early June mostly in the north and on mountains. The mushroom occurs in multiple notable mountain ranges, including the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range. The mushroom had a role in deaths during the WWII period in Poland and Germany.

HABITAT:
The false morel can be found primarily on the ground under conifers in forests. They’re also somewhat partial to sandy soil when the days are getting hotter and the sun beats down on the blazing sand it occupies. The April showers can make way for this deadly mushroom. When not relaxing under conifers, the mushroom is notably also found under pine. With the period of growing being so close to winter, its not uncommon to see this mushroom grow as a result of the water from the wet snow soaking into the earth and giving way to the false morel. The morel occasionally has a spotlight in areas that have been disturbed like timber clearings, rivulets, washes, plowed areas, openings, forest fire clearings, and roadsides.

DESCRIPTION:
The mushroom is a brown, brainlike mushroom with a saddle-shaped stalk on a short white cap. The cap is 1 ¼” - 4” (3-10 cm) wide and 2” - 4” (5-10 cm) high. The cap is brain or saddle-shaped and comes in a huge range of colors from a yellow-brown to a purple and back to a vibrant yellow. The mushroom gets browner with age. The interior of the cap is separated into several chambers. The cap itself appears very wrinkled. The stalk is anywhere between ¾ and 2” I3-10 cm) wide and 2-4” (5-10 cm) high. The stalk is very stout and thick and white in color. The stalk, as well as the cap, is divided into chambers, typically one or two.

CONSEQUENCES OF CONSUMPTION:
Oddly, the effects of the mushroom can be canceled out with cooking. It can be diluted via a process of boiling, rinsing and boiling again or dehydration, hydration, and further dehydration. But even so, the removal of the mushroom’s toxins is sometimes incomplete even after this process. THIS SPECIES IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR COOKING! The mushroom uses a toxin referred to as gyrotoxin. The exact nature of gyrotoxin still remains an enigma to the world of science, but its assumed to be a carcinogenic toxin that destroys the number of red blood cells in the body. It’s been noted how false morels cause tumors on animals that receive the carcinogenic.

SOURCES:
The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (book)
https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/gyromitra-esculenta.php (website)
https://www.mushroomexpert.com/gyromitra_esculenta.html (website)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyromitra_esculenta (website)
https://earthsky.org/earth/lifeform-of-the-week-brain-mushrooms-are-delectable-and-deadly (website)

IMAGE:
The false morel, resting in some forest debris

Fungus of the day #15 (Imitation week)
Happy first day of October!

NAME:
Jack O’Lantern

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Omphalotus olearius

ORDER:
Agaricales

FAMILY:
Marasmiaceae

EDIBILITY:
Poisonous

LOOK-ALIKES:
Cantharellus cibarius, Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

RANGE AND TIME:
The Jack O’lantern appears in eastern North America, extending as far as from the rocky mountains to California. . They grow between July and November, but in California specimens grow between November and March due to the change of climate in California. Outside of America, the Jack O'lanterns appear in Europe, primarily, albeit rarely still, in England, France, Spain, and Portugal with some sightings in Mediterranian countries other than the previously listed. They grow from September to January in southern Europe.

HABITAT:
The shelf mushrooms grow primarily at the stumps of dead or destroyed trees (mostly deciduous and oak trees). The mushroom grows in clusters with other Jack O’lanterns, all of which feed on the dead material of the trees they grow on. In Europe, this habitat differs with the lanterns growing under olive trees instead of some hardwoods native to the US

DESCRIPTION:
The shelf is an orangish yellow color with a descending stalk and sharply edged gills. The coloration of the mushroom gives it the color, which resembles a Jack O’lantern. The cap is 3-8” (7.5 - 20 cm) wide, and flat. It’s also quite indented. The gills descend down the stalk and are tightly compact. They’re also orange-yellow like the remainder of the mushroom. In addition, the gills and cap also have a ghostly green tinge at night or in dark conditions. The stalk is 3-8” (7.5 - 20 cm) long and ⅜ - ⅝ “ wide (1-1.5 cm). The spore print is creamy white. To find spore print, you just simply leave the cap of a mushroom on any paper surface and the paper will display the spore print. Often, spore prints are indicative of what type of mushroom you see before you. It can be a life saver because an edible Amanita mushroom has a very distinct look from the similarly appearing mushroom, the death cap

CONSEQUENCES OF CONSUMPTION:
The poisonous toadstools contain a toxin known as muscarine; which means that when consumed the Jack O’lanterns cause gastric upsets that can linger anywhere between a few hours and several days. These poisonings are seldom fatal but a measure of caution is still necessary to distinguish this species from the orange shelf mushroom it imitates.

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omphalotus_olearius (website)
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (book)
https://mushroomexpert.com/omphalotus_olearius.html (website)
https://www.first-nature.com/fungi/omphalotus-olearius.php (website)
https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/omphalotus-olearius.html (website)

IMAGE:
The appearance of the captivating Jack O’Lantern mushroom in the day compared to the eerie green glow it exhibits in dark conditions

Fungus of the day #14
Well, I’m trying something new out. A theme for the week. The week starts Monday and ends Sunday. This week’s theme is imitation

NAME:
Ergot

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Claviceps purpurea

FAMILY:
Clavicipitaceae

ORDER:
Hypocreales

EDIBILITY:
Hallucinogenic, deadly

RANGE:
The ergot fungus grows across the world, making a home on cereal crops and grasses. Most prevalently, the fungus can be found all across Europe and Scandinavia. The fungus is found in essentially every major European country, including Ireland, the UK, Portugal, Spain, France, Turkey, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and many many others. In Africa, the fungus can be found as far up as Sudan going as far down as South Africa. However, ergot cannot be found in places that have dry deserts of wet rainforests like Congo, Angola, and Namibia. The ergot is found in only one place in China but prevalently in India and Nepal. Found in Japan, Russia, and Kazakhstan, the ergot continues south into Indonesia, Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Across the pacific ocean, ergot can be found minimally in Canada, and in America, specimens exist in Kansas and New Jersey in the east but are more prevalently found in the west in states like Oregon, Washington, and California. The ergot continues south to Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.

HABITAT:
The fungus is parasitic, finding suitable hosts in the cereal crops and grasses of the countries it stakes a claim in. There are different subspecies of ergot that have preferences to different types of terrain. Some ergots prefer land grasses with open fields and meadows, hence the appearance of some ergot in Kansas. Some grasses formed in mountainous regions with thick forests and plenty of moisture may find themselves susceptible to having an unwelcome guest grow on them. Or another extreme, the ergot also grows on grasses found in salt marshes.

DESCRIPTION:
The ergot is quite simple in appearance. It’s typically brown and grows trying to resemble a grain of rye to trick farmers into not destroying the ergot, as it feeds on the grasses and crops that farmers produce. It forms from the plant ovaries and bears orange fruiting bodies that resemble mushrooms after the proper nutrients have been reaped from the host plant

LIFE CYCLE:
The ergot kernel develops when a floret of flowering grass or cereal is infected by a spore of ergot. The infection process mimics a pollen grain growing into an ovary during fertilization. Due to the nature of ergot development requiring an exposed stigma, it’s mainly species that rely on outcrossing, like rye. The mycelium that grows from the fungus after the invasion of the plant slowly destroys the plant ovary and connects with the part of the plant intended to grow seeds. After this, the ergot infection begins. It grows into a soft white tissue that produces honeydew. This honeydew appendage millions and millions of asexual ergot spores. These spores are dispersed to other florets via insects. After sporing, the ergot falls to the ground and starts to develop fruiting bodies with a stalk and cap, like a small mushroom. Those fruiting bodies then create even more spores, and the life cycle is complete

ERGOT ON MAMMALS:
Ergots produce an alkaloid called alkaloid ergotamine. Whenever an appropriate dose of alkaloid ergotamine is consumed, the consumer (whether it be animal or human) receives a disease called ergotism. Ergotism causes extreme burning sensations in the body. Other symptoms of ergotism include muscle spasms, fever, hallucinations, the appearance of being dazed, manic tendencies, inability to speak, paralysis, tremors, and distorted perceptions. Some cases even result in death

SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot (website)
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/cpr/plant-pathology/ergot-being-reported-in-wheat-08-16-18 (website)
https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Claviceps_purpurea (website)
https://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/oct99.html (website)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claviceps_purpurea#Life_cycle (website)

IMAGE:
Ergot growing on wheat

Random profiles #2
#education

NAME:
Mimic octopus

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Thaumoctopus mimicus

CLASS:
Cephalopoda

FAMILY:
Octopoda

ENDANGERMENT STATUS:
Unknown. The creature is elusive and there has not been enough found to be able to determine where they live and how many there are

RANGE:
The mimic octopus was first discovered off the coast of Indonesian city Sulawesi. The creature was found in 1998 resting on the bottom of a muddy river. Previously the octopus was thought to inhabit only the western and central Indo-Pacific until a specimen was discovered occupying a space near the great barrier reef in June of 2012.

HABITAT:
From what’s been observed by scientists, it was hypothesized that the octopus prefers areas that are muddy with warm waters. They’ve been observed in the mouths of rivers and on the coasts of islands, which leads scientists to speculate that the mimic octopus prefers life in those regions.

DESCRIPTION:
The mimic octopus, like all other octopi, is an invertebrate. This lack of a skeleton means that the octopus moves through the water with ease. This also allows the octopus to get into tight spaces to catch prey. This flexibility of its body enhances the mimic octopus’ ability to pretend to be other animals, which I will mention soon. The mimic octopus is not large when referencing octopi, growing to be up to only two feet at fully grown with a diameter of no more than a pencil at their widest. Small horns protrude out of each eye of the animal. At default, the mimic is brown and white in color. Stripes and spots of the octopus help the creature blend into its surroundings. In addition to powerful mimicry, the mimic can change its color pigments to better suit their surroundings and hide from predators. The octopus possesses eight long arms with suction cups lining them, better allowing them to grip prey.

MIMICRY:
Mimicry is not unusual in the animal kingdom. Mimicry is seen in flies that resemble bees, mantises that resemble orchid flowers, and nonvenomous snakes intended to resemble a more venomous coral snake. There are three major types of mimicry. Batesian mimicry, where an animal mimics an animal that is of a greater threat than that; a sheep in wolf’s clothing. The mimic octopus falls under the category of this kind of mimicry. However, the mimicry of the octopus is extremely rare in terms of mimicry. Specimens like the orchid mantis only resemble a single other creature whereas the mimic octopus can mimic so many animals, thanks in part to its malleable body and high level of intelligence. Mimic octopi have been spotted bearing resemblance to the following animals: The sole fish, a flatfish that is poisonous and far more dangerous than the octopus that mimics it. The octopus mimics this animal by building up speed in the water and drawing all of its arms together until the octopus has almost a triangular shape. The octopus also imitates a venomous lionfish by rising into the open ocean and displaying its arms in a staggering display which greatly resembles the many spikes and spines protruding from the lionfish. When desperate, the octopus will burrow itself in the ground, leaving two exposed arms to resemble the venomous sea krait. It waves its arms in two different directions to imitate the movements of the krait. Truly the mimicry of the octopus is something to behold, being so good at mimicry as to be able to resemble sole fish, stingrays, or jellyfish. Quite possibly what's more impressive than the ability to appear similar to these animals is the fact that the octopus knows of these animals whatsoever and can remember and resemble distinct features and behaviors exhibited by the animals. The mimic octopus also prefers to mimic animals with similar colors to the ones displayed by the octopus naturally. The octopus also tends to mimic animals that are local to the areas it occupies

DiET:
Small crabs, worms, and small fish

SOURCES:
https://octopusworlds.com/mimic-octopus/ (website)
https://marinebio.org/species/mimic-octopuses/thaumoctopus-mimicus/ (website)
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/m/mimic-octopus/ (article)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimic_octopus (website)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyzsbSJyRKs&t=626s

Insect Sunday #3
#education
Sorry for the lackluster insect, I’m still recovering from the endeavor that was the wheat

NAME:
Orchid mantis

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
Hymenopus coronatus

ORDER:
Mantodea

FAMILY:
Hymenopus

RANGE:
First discovered by British explorer James Hingston in 1879, the orchid mantis left Hingston dumbfounded, as he simply thought he was looking at an ordinary flower. Hingston first discovered the species in West Java, but the mantis also exists in Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.

HABITAT:
The mantis’ camouflage greatly reflects its preferred habitat. Mantises live in areas with a high amount of moisture and vegetation. The mantises also greatly value their shade and humidity and prefer areas that have a high amount of each of those factors. The ideal temperatures for these creatures are about 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit). Typically in the wild, the temperature of the mantis’ environment can range anywhere between 25 and 30 degrees celsius (77 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit), perfect for the mantis. Despite being so dependant on high humidity, the young are very sensitive to humidity.

DESCRIPTION:
The most prevalent feature of the striking beauty that is the mantis is the bright colors it bears that reflect that of an orchid, where it earns its name. In fact, the striking camo once fooled the very man who discovered the mantis. James recorded the specimen and stated “I am taken by my host around his garden, and shown, among other things, a flower, a red orchid, that catches and feeds upon live flies. It seized upon a butterfly while I was present, and enclosed it in its pretty but deadly leaves, as a spider would have enveloped it in a network”. Typically, wild mantises are white with soft or bright pink accents. However, it’s not uncommon to see an individual be completely white. The mantises can change color, and it’s not uncommon to see one do so in just the matter of a few days based off humidity and light conditions. The mantis lives in environments with flowers that look much like the mantis, so mantises that are brought to unfamiliar lands must learn to adapt with the surrounding flowers to cement its role as the apex predator of the insects. The mantis even alters its minute features to make it that much more convincing. The mantises have dark spots on their abdomens that resemble a budding flower and the female has noticeable lobes on its legs that resemble petals. There exists size dysmorphia in the insect. The female is noticeably larger than the male, being about 6 to 7 cm large (2.4 to 2.8 in)

LIFE CYCLE:
The life cycle of the orchid mantis differs slightly from others in the insect group. THe young are born from eggs that the female mantis lays. When they hatch, they’re in a stage known as a nymph. Nymph is a term given to any juvenile mantis. The nymphs are not considered larvae like many other insects when they’re in this stage. This differentiation of name is due to the nature of their bodies. After they hatch, they already have a fully developed body, except for the wings. The young also bear an unnecessary but hard exoskeleton that comes off as they molt, or shed. The young also don’t have the same defined colors that their parents do. After a continuous cycle of molting every so often, the nymph grows into an adult and have fully gotten rid of their hard exoskeleton

SOURCES:
https://everywherewild.com/orchid-mantis/ (website)
https://www.keepinginsects.com/praying-mantis/species/orchid-mantis/ (website)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopus_coronatus (website)
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2015/01/27/bloodthirsty-truth-orchid-mantis/#.XZEgNZDYq00 (article)

IMAGE:
The orchid mantis, doing as she does best

Wheat, final
#education

As for the millers, many millers have stopped transforming the wheat into the valuable flour and begun turning milling into a science and food technology. The yield per acre of wheat has improved steadily as the wheat evolves and picks up new hybrid traits. In only 70 years, the world wheat production has tripled. Great Britain, for example, has become very self sufficient with wheat production, importing only 300,000 tons annually. Even countries that are stereotypically poor are making a gradual shift and enhancing wheat production. India is now very self sufficient and is now a wide wheat exporter. China almost competes with India in acres devoted to wheat. China has boosted its yields over the past 50 years and is the leading wheat producer in the world. Due to this, they are becoming less reliant on imports. Yields in China have improved from eight bushels per acre to thirty five and sixty per acre. However, the wheat industry is beginning to shift to being specialized in developing countries, seeing as the population of farmers in America has gone down dramatically. In 1840, 70% of all individuals in America were employed in farming. That number in 2002 has gone down to only 2% and continues to drop.

SOURCES:
http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332110-2 (website)
https://plants.usda.gov/java/charProfile?symbol=TRAE (website)
https://www.inspection.gc.ca/plants/plants-with-novel-traits/applicants/directive-94-08/biology-documents/triticum-aestivum-l-/eng/1330982915526/1330982992440 (website)
https://www.encyclopedia.com/food/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/natural-history-wheat (website)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat (website)
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/wheat#benefits (website)
https://www.britannica.com/plant/wheat (website)
https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/books/abstracts/agronomymonogra/wheatandwheatim/33?access=0&view=pdf (website)
http://www.ogtr.gov.au/internet/ogtr/publishing.nsf/content/wheat-3/$FILE/biologywheat08.pdf (document)
https://www.glnc.org.au/grains/types-of-grains/wheat/ (website)
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/taxome/jim/pap/mallet07_hybspn_Nature.pdf (document)
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2e70/a1d5e5a487a4b8b7e9f61f268a8cb2b7127c.pdf (document)

IMAGE:
1920s wheat farm