175/366: How Rare! Beautiful Purple Shelf Fungus (+1 fuzzy baby picture)

When it's wet and soggy in the tree-laden areas of our property, the fungus, lichen and moss spring back into life and grow anew. Some of these plants go dormant and awaken, refreshed, as the rainy season soaks life back into them. Other species are just waiting for water to hit their spores and they too, come to life. The variety of species boggles the mind, and unlike larger plants that are so easy to find, most of these plants require careful hunting to discover.

One day I was wandering around our hillside and looked under a rotted piece of log. I saw something purple. PURPLE? Bringing my face close to the strange fungus, I could see that it looked like purple shelf fungus! Who knew there was such a thing?! I found many in the same area, including itty-bitty babies. Please roll your mouse over the upper left corner to see these fuzzy and very soft fungus babies!