Upside-down Mycena

[Nick_in_Scotland]

Scouted around a spruce plantation yesterday. The winter so far here has been very cold until recently and I'm seeing much less fungi than I usually do at this time of year. I did find some, all in one spot amongst branches from long ago forest thinning including Sulphur Tuft and this curious Mycena on a small log which apparently decided to start growing down and then change it's mind and grow up again!


I wondered if it was something to do with it being dark under the log and then the fungus turning up to find the light when out of the shadow but remembered that fungi don't care that much for light. Then it twigged- I hypothesize that the fungus started growing upwards but the log was then knocked over or around by a deer then the gravity sensors in the growing mushroom detected the change and altered the growing direction accordingly.

On the other hand it might be that it just decided to grow in that crazy manner for no particular reason.

[ron1863]

Noce shot Nick. Not many fungi around my way either.