Mushrooms

Taylor Lockwood Update

At right: Aseroe rubra.

It is not too often that I set up a flight across the water for just one mushroom. But, I did need a better shot of Aseroe rubra, and from all I can gather they should be out — if it rains. And, if I don’t find any, there’s a consolation prize: it’s Hawaii!

So we planned, booked the flights, and flew over there knowing full well that it had been dry for weeks and my contact, Don Hemmes at the U. of Hawaii, wouldn’t be there to show me around anyway. Once again, I had booked a mushroom hunt on a whiff and a prayer.

As far as locations go, all I had to go on was some info. scribbled down from a previous phone call to Don. He might also have a student who could show me a spot or two. When we arrived, Don was off island hopping with another mycologist, and I couldn’t remember his student’s name. Oh well!

My style of travelling is about as unpredictable as mushrooms fruiting anyway. As we slept off the jet engine noise the first night in Hilo, it started raining the kind of rain that stinkhorns love. It took a few phone calls to locate and contact his student/helper and we ended up driving around all that afternoon on a fruitless goose chase.

The next day I went out by myself and found a different stinkhorn, Dictyophora cinnabarina, through another tip from Don. That evening, Don’s student/helper called back with new information on an Aseroe rubra spot in Honoka’a, which as fairly closer to Hilo. The next morning, I got up in the dark, and was out the door at 6:00 a.m. headed north.

I found a place fitting the student’s description, and walked up the hill. As I approached the hopeful hot spot, I saw a city worker coming toward me on a big riding mower! All I could think was that my would-be photo subjects had been mowed down just as I arrived.

My only consolation after walking and sniffing and walking and sniffing around the whole park was that they probably hadn’t come up at all. I walked around one last time in a little wider circle that included the trees and vegetation skirting the lawn and bingo! — one single beautiful little Aseroe rubra with no others (or eggs for that matter) around. I spent the next half hour or so at a photo-mycological feast with only the mushroom and a few flies to commune with.

After I was done with every possible still/video capture I could think of, I packed up and drove down the road savoring, not only the moment, but a lifestyle of wild gambles on a whiff and a prayer that, at least most of the time, pay off.

Aseroe rubra and other photos from Hawai’i at: http://www.kingdomoffungi.com/d.pages/m.2007.01/m.2007.01.php

© 2007 FUNGIFEST.