I saw this silver and bronze-looking mushroom standing alone, glistening in the sun in a wooded area along the Mississippi River. At first it looked like someone had placed a shiny metal lawn ornament in the middle of the woods. I had to touch it to see if it was real, which it was. My best guess is that it is a member of the inky cap family. After their spores mature, their gills begin to decompose from the bottom up, turning into a black liquid which resembles ink. Then the mushroom cap begins to curl up, placing the spores in an ideal position to catch the wind and disperse. It’s strange to think that the magical colors of this mushroom are the result of decay.
“Everywhere we look, complex magic of nature blazes before our eyes.” ~Vincent van Gogh
walking on a country road 
I haven’t seen any of these yet. Beautiful photos, Rebecca!
Thanks Peter! This was the first one that I recall seeing.
Your photography expresses your love of Gods creation.
Thanks Kathy!
I very much enjoyed your photos of the silver gold inky cap mushroom and the Van Gough quote!
Thank you!
It sure does have a metallic look to it. Between your mushrooms and Andy Finnegan’s red polka-dotted mushrooms, I am envious as I only see the garden variety mushrooms in my travels around town and in parks.
This is the first of these that I’ve ever seen. I would love to see the red polka-dotted ones sometime.
Me too – those red-spotted ones look like something out of a fairytale!
I have never seen these. Thanks for sharing! They are beautiful!
This was the first time I had seen one. At this stage, it was quite stunning. It would be fun to watch them over time and see the changes.