Good friends Stephen and Eve Thompson (Steve is the best digital photographer I know, and has taught me a LOT) forwarded this photo of a weird mushroom – well, we guess it’s a mushroom – which they found growing in their greenhouse in mid-May. It looks like some variety of Suillus (the Bolete’s illegitimate brother), but – gee, where’s the stem? The answer is, there wasn’t one! We know, because we went over there and looked for ourselves. Even when we plucked it, there was nothing even remotely resembling a stem.
Photo courtsey of Steve Thompson.
Various theories for this state of affairs were discussed and discarded. Had they obtained the soil from a toxic waste dump? A nuclear repository? (No, and no). Had they discovered any cigarette butts lying around? (They’re supposed to stunt one’s growth, after all…); firm denials met each trial hypothesis.
Until one of our smart readers (and there are many) clues us in, this will have to remain a mystery for now…
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