"Goddess of the Moon over Mississippi" by Wicketress @ thelensflare.com |
With Louisiana I found myself planning ahead. I thought I had a clear idea about how I would go about the project. I had it all laid out; bayou imagery, Swamp Beacon fungi. Clever, thought I. Then, I stumbled upon "Goddess of the Moon over Mississippi" while searching all that ghastly Mississippi imagery. Instantly the bayou plan was sacked. The Moon prevails. The piece is a manipulated photograph of the Moon over Baton Rouge & the Mississippi River. The photographer is a mystery, having no bio & only one other image (that of a snake) uploaded to their photography account. I am going to pretend that it was uploaded just so that I might find it.
I still held fast to the idea of using the Swamp Beacons, but I could not find any indication that they are present anywhere in the state of Louisiana. Finally the Wiki snuffed my "clever" plan: "(Swamp Beacons) are found in swamps and bogs across North America in the cooler climates of south-eastern Canada, New England south to the Mason-Dixon Line..." Boo. However, during my ferreting about the internet, I came upon an image of a most delightful cluster of Bird's Nest fungi:
Bird's Nest fungi @ LA Plant Pathology blog. |
As I mentioned in my last cleanup campaign installment, Transforming "Spiritual Warfare": Day 31 (Mississippi), the Bird's Nest fungi are part of the Nidulariales:
"...which produce fruiting bodies that contain what can be described as "spore balls," or spore mass "eggs" (the technical term of which is peridioles). These "eggs" are housed in a cup-like or nest-like peridium. Most of the fungi in this egg-making category are the lovely little bird's nest fungi, whose peridioles are dispersed by rain water, animals & other environmental factors."There are five genera within the Nidulariales, each of which are conveniently colour-coded, inadvertently catering to our characteristically hominid need for identification:
- Crucibulum have black "eggs" but the eggs are surrounded by a membrane called a tunica which causes them to appear white.
- Cyathus have black "eggs."
- Mycocalia have yellow to red-brown "eggs."
- Nidula have brown "eggs."
- Nidularia have brown "eggs."
I could go on & on about these clever cuties, but since I lacking the words, I will simply offer the pertinent points: they are saprobic (so they fit the plan), they are widespread & abundant nearly everywhere, including Loiusiana. Better still, I have met a few of them personally.
I lacked the words to express the intent of this working in writing. Perhaps I have been brain-addled by cuteness. In lieu of words & because I am as weird as my beloved fungi, I drew a diagram -- a hatred remediation flowchart -- complete with super cute fungi & zombified zealots wearing those alarm watches intended to reprogram everyone & provoke them to pray:
May their clever, cleansing, colour-coded, cuteness prevail.
In Louisiana.
Cyathus spp.
Nidularia spp.
Crucibulum spp.
2 comments:
I think you've made a lovely contribution towards the prevailing of "their clever, cleansing, colour-coded, cuteness."
Oh thank you. I'm sure you can relate to those moments when you cannot find the words. ;)
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