Here are some enchanting and other-worldly mushroom photos from Ball Knob Cemetery near the LBJ Grasslands.

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This mushroom looks like one of my favorite brown-n-serve rolls served at Thanksgiving.

I think the green leafy item is poison ivy.

You could easily scan the area and see the mounds of mushrooms everywhere.  Some fresh, some rotting.

The photo below gives you an idea of scale.  I wear a size 6 1/2 shoe.

Close-up photos of rotting mushrooms.  Feel free to imagine the smell…

As gross as they look (and smelled) – these mushrooms were fascinating.  They were also quite different from the aged puffball mushrooms I discovered in Arkansas that dried into powder instead rotting.  I did poke areas with a stick to see what it was like.  It was slimy!

Additional observations about this location:
1.  The cemetery is fenced.  The area I photographed is not in use (there aren’t any tombstones).
2.  Unlike other areas at the LBJ Grasslands, there are no cows freely grazing the area.  But there were deer tracks in the cemetery.  Why is this worth mentioning?  Cow patties produce particular mushrooms.

3.  This assortment of mushrooms hasn’t been observed in other areas of the LBJ Grasslands.

 

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Date:  November 13, 2016
Cameras:  Canon G16 and Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Unrelated Notes:  I am excited to report I have ordered my own mushrooms to grow at home.  I expect them to arrive in a week.  There will be blogs documenting the excitement.