Magical Mushroom; Art of Nature winner. “Is it waves crashing on to shore? A landscape of furrowed canyons? The topography of a distant planet? In fact, it’s the gills of a fungus from the genus Lactarius, better known as milk cap mushrooms for the milky, latex-like liquid they ooze when cut. J Fritz Rumpf was foraging for mushrooms in Arizona’s White Mountains when he picked up this one and noticed the colours of its gills. Many species of milk cap ‘bruise’ when chemicals in their fruiting bodies are exposed to air, turning them a murky blue-green”. (Photo by J. Fritz Rumpf/BigPicture) Continue reading »