Fun Guys

Okay,that was just a little play on the word Fungi,but I couldn't resist. During my recent journey I picked up the in flight magazine and discovered that Hawaii has mushrooms,for some reason I had never considered mushrooms growing there. I have picked mushrooms locally and there are some tasty treats to be had if you can find them and don't mind getting wet (usually).
Since 1990 Don Hemmes and his partner Dennis Desjardin have identified over 400 species,60 of those are endemic to Hawaii. The amount of mushrooms there is not great but there are several that are unique,there is even one that glows (lamalama). There are also ones called stinkhorns that have a chemical compound called cadaverine that makes them smell like rotting flesh,others smell like pig manure or worse. The article also mentioned that the largest living organism in the world is a fungus that stretches over nearly a 4 mile radius under an Oregon forest and is about 2,400 years old. I have not confirmed that as fact yet,as I always thought the largest living organism was the Great Barrier Reef,I will try remember to post the results when I find out which is the largest is,but my money is still of the Great Barrier Reef!


Starfish Stinkhorn



Yellow Veiled Stinkhorn