Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Carbon Antlers or Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon)

After checking out the pumpkin graveyard at Mount Douglas Park I went for a walk in the park itself and was pleased to see these little fungi - Carbon Antlers or Candlesnuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon). I like them because they always remind me of how fundamentally mysterious nature is. Normally I think I know how common plants function - flowers and seeds and photosynthesis etc., but when I see these little plants I realize I haven't a clue about why they look like they do and what their life cycle is and I feel like I'm visiting Mars or some equally alien environment.

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3 comments:

  1. DzjiedzjeeNovember 14, 2012 at 11:59 AM

    Rear picture! The first thing I thought it was, was the remains of a deer. Glad it wasn't :-)

    Greetings from The Netherlands!

    ReplyDelete
  2. JoJoNovember 14, 2012 at 12:07 PM

    Amazing! I thought they were real antlers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. William KendallNovember 20, 2012 at 12:41 PM

    They certainly do look the part, don't they?

    ReplyDelete

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