Appreciating The Tiniest Specimens Sprouting up In Grafton Lakes State Park

So....how do you feel about fungus?  Sounds pretty gross, right?  Fungus is something we normally shy away from.   Well, yesterday John and I took a drive to Grafton Lakes State Park and I might have had a change of heart when it comes to fungus.  At the very least I have a new appreciation for how many types of fungus there are, particularly in the form of mushrooms that we found growing in the forest there.

According to Wikipedia, a mushroom is a fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of fungus typically produced above the ground on soil or on its food source. The underside of mushrooms can have gills, pores, teeth.  I'm not sure how many varieties exist, but we found way more yesterday than I ever imagined and I will tell you right now, I have no idea whatsoever what each of them are.  I just know they are so cool I couldn't help photograph as many as possible.  I hope you'll let me know if any of these varieties are new to you!

Notice the little purple one in the top, left corner.

Pretty neat, right? I imagine a few are duplicates of the same variety but in different stages of life. Most of these I've never seen before. We've been traveling the winter entrance of Grafton park for a few years and this is the first I've spotted them. I'm thinking the humid conditions this summer were conducive to fungus grown, especially in the wooded areas of the park. Before you start thinking I've lost my marbles devoting a whole post to fungus, I'll assure you I have plenty of shots of the lakes too! I'll save those for a future post. And while we're being honest, I'll confess each of these shots were taken from the front passenger seat while John drove 2 mph. Yes.....I am married to a saint indeed. If you haven't been to Grafton Lakes State Park in a while, or ever, I encourage you to go. There is no admission fee for the winter entrance. Visitors are allowed to fish and kayak on Mill Pond, Second Pond and Long Pond (on the other end from the swimming end). Beautiful in every season!  Thanks for stopping by and exploring fungus today.  I hope you'll share this with all the fungus lovers you know.  To see more posts featuring the beauty of Grafton Lakes State Park, check out my blog Directory under the Destination-New York section.  Come back soon for more adventures in Life As I See It.