Mushrooms
Fri 14 Oct 2011 Filed in:
My Life | PhotosWe were looking in the wrong places. The day started out as a fall foliage adventure, but the Evergreen State was living up to its name. There was plenty of evidence that fall was in the air but not too much of the kind of dramatic color we were seeking. And that was okay; there was enough joy in the journey.
We ended up focused less on leaves and more on fungi, which I will admit doesn’t sound all that appealing. I can understand gathering leaves with which to decorate, but I don’t know anyone who hunts mushrooms for the same purpose. The beauty of mushrooms seems far greater when they are in their natural setting, and we enjoyed walking through the woods, wondering at large mushrooms with upturned edges, holding rain water like a cup.
I have never before thought of mushrooms as beautiful. Tasty, yes, but not beautiful. In fact they have always seemed somewhat ugly. These tree-hugging conks changed my mind. Ironically they are evidence of decay, the wood-rotting fungus often entering the tree through a wound. I wonder idly how it began and marvel at the miracle that by God’s grace even decay can produce beauty.
I’ll look elsewhere for leaves and will celebrate the stress that produces their riotous color. This week was a time for mushrooms.
