Back to normal with rain and ‘shrooms

Following the weekend rains, we’re almost back to normal rainfall for the year. At this point on the calendar we usually have 21 inches of rainfall in Sussex County. As of last week we were up to 18.5 inches. A couple of more block parties and garden tours ought to get us there. In the mean time, mushrooms and other fungi are loving the weather.

There’s no wonder why people think of mushrooms as having magical qualities. They appear suddenly, as if all of their growth is in another dimension. Then, when people aren’t looking, they become visible. Such is the case with the mushroom shown here that sprouted last week in the mulch ring around a sycamore tree at Nassau Valley Vineyards. It is without a doubt the largest mushroom I’ve ever seen and that counts mushrooms that I encounter deep in the woods where dead trees host thick growths of wet moss begging for mushroom conventions.

I carried a Mountain Dew can with me to photograph with the mushroom to show scale. Lying on my belly, I shot from gnome height and the mushroom took on majestic proportions, looking almost palatial with its color of white marble. The giant popped up overnight. Maybe it was a controlled natural explosion. They obviously don’t call nuclear blasts mushroom clouds for nothing.