Looks like a loaf of bread, but it’s a penny bun ( Boletus edulis) mushroom, one of the most sort after culinary mushrooms. Young specimens can be eaten raw in salads. They have strong mushroom flavor when cooked. Once dried, it is excellent for flavoring soups, sauces, stocks.
“Boletus edulis was first described in 1782 by the French botanist Pierre Bulliard and still bears its original name.[2] The starting date of fungal taxonomy had been set as January 1, 1821, to coincide with the date of the works of the ‘father of mycology’, Swedish naturalist Elias Magnus Fries, which meant the name required sanction by Fries (indicated in the name by a colon) to be considered valid, as Bulliard’s work preceded this date. It was thus written Boletus edulis Bull.:Fr. However, a 1987 revision of the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature set the starting date at May 1, 1753, the date of publication of Linnaeus‘ seminal work, the Species Plantarum.[3] Hence, the name no longer requires the ratification of Fries’ authority. Early alternate namesinclude Boletus solidus by English naturalist James Sowerby in 1809,[4] and Gray’sLeccinum edule.[5] Gray’s transfer of the species to Leccinum was later determined to be inconsistent with the rules of botanical nomenclature, and he apparently was unfamiliar with the earlier works of Fries when he published his arrangement of bolete species.[6]” — Wikipedia
kenne
“Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom.”
—Thomas Carlyle
Penny Bun Mushroom — Image by kenne
“Falling in love is like eating mushrooms, you never know if it’s the real thing until it’s too late.”
While I stood here, in the open, lost in myself,
I must have looked a long time
Down the corn rows, beyond grass,
The small house,
White walls, animals lumbering toward the barn.
I look down now. It is all changed.
Whatever it was I lost, whatever I wept for
Was a wild, gentle thing, the small dark eyes
Loving me in secret.
It is here. At a touch of my hand,
The air fills with delicate creatures
From the other world.
“I saw a poet chase a butterfly in a meadow. He put his net on a bench where a boy sat reading a book.
It’s a misfortune that it is usually the other way round.”
. . . spent some time in Sabino Canyon this morning. I captured images of several lizards, but sometimes I find it difficult to identify these guys — example: the top photo and the one below are both od desert spiny lizards, however, the angle of the sun and environment around the lizard causes different coloring; at least to this observer.
Desert Spiny Lizard
Zebra-tailed Lizard
The above lizard is easy to identify by the strips on the trail, however, I have not be able to identify the little guy below. Something tells me I should, but for now I call him “Yellow-belly.”
Giant Mesquite Bug Photographed in The Sabino Canyon Riparian Area — Image by kenne
. . . I hope not!
And neither should the Giant Mesquite Bug found on Velvet Mesquite (or common mesquite) trees in the Tucson area. Not to worry, these bugs do little to no damage to our wonderful mesquite trees that help give the “lush” look to our desert community.
People in the Indian state of Meghalaya have been growing (not building) bridges for more than 500 years by guiding roots and vines from the native Ficus Elastica (rubber tree) across rivers. It may take ten to fifteen years to become fully functional. Amazing! Yet, it’s not so amazing when you value the relationship of people and nature.
The Red Bird of Paradise (also commonly called Mexican Bird of Paradise) is a beautiful blowing desert plant that thrives on heat and very little water.
It’s not everyday you see a Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake, and as it was, we almost didn’t. I actually walked by it, but biologist, Ted Fleming, spotted it. The conditions were cloudy and dark along the ground, which made for depth of field problems. But, the bright colors got Ted’s attention and I quickly tried to photograph this beauty. You can see, the results were blurrier. The snake was on the slop-side of the trail, making it very difficult to maneuver for a better angle — plus, there was plenty of ground cover. For now, at least, this is my best and only Sonoran Mountain Kingsnake photos.
In all the years of photographing the world around us, I have never photographed insects. Admittedly, I have much to learn, however, with the help some Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists (SCVN) I have begun “Capturing the Moment” in the insect world. Capturing these images was make easier by having several trained eyes to help find insects. As I learn more and become better linked with naturalists, I hope to be bale to provide names of the insects in the photographs.
Penny Bun Mushroom — Images by kenne
Penny Bun Mushroom — Image by kenne
Forest Floor — Image by kenne
Mahogany Milkweed — Image by kenne
Echo Azure
Arizona Hairstreak
Marine Blue & Nais Metalmark
Silver-spotted Skipper
Silver-spotted Skipper
Arizona Hairstreak
Marine Blue
Nais Metalmark — Images by kenne
Becoming is Superior to Being 