Orange Tube-Like Horn-Like Stinky Fungus aka. Stinkhorn
2 comments Posted by John Gardner at 12:23 PMI have often seen these stinky mushrooms popping out of recently mulched gardens; however, I've never taken the time to get to know them properly until now. 
This silly mushroom is a stinkhorn from the Mutinus genus. I did some research to discover the species and I've narrowed it down to M. caninus or M. elegans. The best way to differentiate between these two species is the position and length of the spore slime (the stuff that looks like poop). The problem is that my spore slime seems to have been disturbed. 
If you haven't noticed, I did get very close to these mushrooms. The smell is very thick and not very appetizing, at least to humans. I noticed many gnats and flies running around the sticky, brown slime. They do eat it, but they also get the slime stuck to their feet. For a mushroom, that's a pretty ingenious way to spread spores.
For more information on stickhorns check out MushroomExpert.com
Plant Sale & National Public Gardens Day at Compton Gardens, Bentonville, Arkansas
2 comments Posted by John Gardner at 7:20 PM
Hello all you plant enthusiasts! You will be happy to know that there is a native plant sale coming this weekend [ 05/08/2010 ] at Compton Gardens, located near downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. They will be offering great flowering and fruiting native trees, shrubs, and beautiful perennial flowers. Some of my favorites on the list will include Cladrastis kentukea, Ribes aureum, Euonymus americanus and many others. For more information about the plant sale and the National Public Gardens Day, just CLICK HERE.
If you want to know how to get to the garden, click here. Be sure and enter on Main Street. Sometimes that area can be a bit confusing.
I will be giving a short walk through the Bird Sanctuary, for the National Gardens Day on Friday. I'm very excited. Hope to see you there.
Arkansas Orchids: Lady Slipper, Showy Orchis, & Spring Coralroot
1 comments Posted by John Gardner at 2:35 PMIf you are a plant geek, you're going to love these rare beauties...
The Spring Coralroot is a very interesting orchid. It is a nonphotosynthesizing orchid. It is able to take up nutrition from mycorrhizal fungus. Pretty cool, huh? Also back in the good ol' days, this plant was used to assist in breaking high fever and used as a mild sedative. But do not go out looking for this plant for that reason. Corallorrhiza is a rare plant and its habitat should be left alone!
Are you a fan of Pawpaw trees? If not, you should be. These trees are not only aesthetically pleasing but also wonderful to eat. Many people compare the taste to banana. I admit, it does have a tropical essence; however, it has more of a Papaya and Mango combination with some banana mixed in. 
Add one of these trees to your landscape not only for your personal gain but also for the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly. This is the only plant that the Zebra Swallowtail will use as a host.
Most Pawpaws are not well pollinated. This can be for several reasons. First pollinators like the flies, beetles and ants do not pick up the faint smell of the flowers. Some people can boost pollination by attracting the insects using rotten food or your neighbors dead "yip-yip" dog should work fine. If you are able to endure the smell, expect delicious fruits in the late summer. Second, cross pollination between trees will boost the yield. So be sure and plant several Pawpaw trees. These trees tend to form in thickets, so expect more to pop up as the years go by.
I was enjoying a nice visit with my family the moment I received a telephone call from my dear friend Amanda. She reminded me of a time last year when she discovered morels outside of her apartment (click to view photos). There was a moment of silence over the line. Of course, she found more at her new apartment! Fungus seems to follow her where ever she goes - I'm not so sure that's a good thing. However, Silvia and I were invited to a wonderful morel pasta dinner.
After the first bite, I quizzed my taste buds searching for something that would blow my mind. But however delicious the fungus is, I will have to agree with my father's words, "A mushroom is a mushroom." Now that I think about it, I do remember a particular fungus that passed through John Gardner years ago. The fungus was called black fungus. The black jelly like fungus was revealed to me at an Asian restaurant in Ptuj, Slovenia. If I recall, it is tasty but the texture is bizarre and the black stains the teeth.
Here are some nice spring flowers I simply wanted to share with you. These flowers you will not typically find in the neighbors garden. You'll have better luck finding these on the trail. Good luck!
January 3, 4 - Quadrantids Meteor Shower. The Quadrantids are an above average shower, with up to 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on January 3 & 4, but some meteors can be visible from January 1 - 5. Best viewing will be from a dark location after midnight. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation Bootes.
January 15 - Annular Solar Eclipse. The path of annularity will begin in central Africa and move east through the Indian Ocean, southern India, Sri Lanka, Malymar, and China. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout most eastern Africa and Asia. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information | NASA Eclipse Animation)
January 29 - Mars at Opposition. The red planet will be at its closest approach to Earth and its face will be fully illuminated by the Sun. This is the best time to view and photograph Mars.
March 20 - The Vernal Equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 17:32 UT. There will be equal amounts of day and night. This is also the first day of spring.
March 22 - Saturn at Opposition. The ringed planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view and photograph Saturn and its moons. Saturn's rings will be nearly edge-on this year and will be very difficult to see.
April 21, 22 - Lyrids Meteor Shower. The Lyrids are an average shower, usually producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. These meteors can produce bright dust trails that last for several seconds. The shower usually peaks on April 21 & 22, although some meteors can be visible from April 16 - 25. Look for meteors radiating from the constellation of Lyra after midnight.
May 5, 6 - Eta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Eta Aquarids are a light shower, usually producing about 10 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on May 5 & 6, however viewing should be good on any morning from May 4 - 7. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
June 21 - The Summer Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 11:28 UT. The Sun is at its highest point in the sky and it will be the longest day of the year. This is also the first day of summer.
June 26 - Partial Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, and the western Americas. (NASA Eclipse Information)
July 11 - Total Solar Eclipse. The path of totality will only be visible in the southern Pacific Ocean, Easter Island, and parts of southern Chile and Argentina. A partial eclipse will be visible in many parts of southern South America. (NASA Map and Eclipse Information | NASA Eclipse Animation)
July 28, 29 - Southern Delta Aquarids Meteor Shower. The Delta Aquarids can produce about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower usually peaks on July 28 & 29, but some meteors can also be seen from July 18 - August 18. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Aquarius. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
August 12, 13 - Perseids Meteor Shower. The Perseids is one of the best meteor showers to observe, producing up to 60 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower's peak usually occurs on August 13 & 14, but you may be able to see some meteors any time from July 23 - August 22. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Perseus. Look to the northeast after midnight.
August 20 - Neptune at Opposition. The blue planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view Neptune, although it will only appear as a tiny blue dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
September 21 - Jupiter at Opposition. The giant planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view and photograph Jupiter and its moons.
September 22 - Uranus at Opposition. The blue-green planet will be at its closest approach to Earth. This is the best time to view Uranus, although it will only appear as a tiny blue-green dot in all but the most powerful telescopes.
September 23 - The Autumnal Equinox occurs in the northern hemisphere at 03:09 UT. There will be equal amounts of day and night. This is also the first day of fall.
October 21, 22 - Orionids Meteor Shower. The Orionids is an average shower producing about 20 meteors per hour at their peak. This shower usually peaks on the 21st, but it is highly irregular. A good show could be experienced on any morning from October 20 - 24, and some meteors may be seen any time from October 17 - 25. Best viewing will be to the east after midnight.
November 17, 18 - Leonids Meteor Shower. The Leonids is one of the better meteor showers to observe, producing an average of 40 meteors per hour at their peak. The shower itself has a cyclic peak year every 33 years where hundreds of meteors can be seen each hour. The last of these occurred in 2001. The shower usually peaks on November 17 & 18, but you may see some meteors from November 13 - 20. Look for the shower radiating from the constellation Leo after midnight.
December 13, 14 - Geminids Meteor Shower. Considered by many to be the best meteor shower in the heavens, the Geminids are known for producing up to 60 multicolored meteors per hour at their peak. The peak of the shower usually occurs around December 13 & 14, although some meteors should be visible from December 6 - 19. The radiant point for this shower will be in the constellation Gemini. Best viewing is usually to the east after midnight.
December 21 - Total Lunar Eclipse. The eclipse will be visible throughout most of eastern Asia, Australia, the Pacific Ocean, the Americas, and Europe. (NASA Eclipse Information)
December 21 - The Winter Solstice occurs in the northern hemisphere at 23:38 UT. The Sun is at its lowest point in the sky and it will be the shortest day of the year. This is also the first day of winter.
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