Fruiting Body Collection (page 4)

Tremella mesenterica
Yellow brain fungus (Tremella mesenterica) growing on a dead gorse bush. The fruiting body is soft, gelatinous and translucent with brain like lobes

Common Earthball (Scleroderma citrinum). The fruiting body is hemispherical with a tough outer layer covered in scales. Inside the ball is a purple-brown mass (gleba)

Ladybird on fungus. Seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septem-punctata) climbing up the stalk of a fungal fruiting body. This is a wood-rotting fungus growing on a dead tree stump

Crimson waxcap mushrooms, artwork
Crimson waxcap (Hygrocybe punicea) mushrooms, artwork. This fungus is found in northern Europe. The mushrooms (fruiting bodies) have a bell-shaped cap (lower right)

Parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera). Photographed on Powerstock Common, Dorset, UK, in October

Aspergillus fungus, SEM
Aspergillus fungus. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the fruiting body (round, top) of a typical mould (Aspergillus sp.)

Woman holding split puffball fungus
MODEL RELEASED. Woman holding a split puffball fungus. The outer wall of this fruiting body has split open to allow the dispersal of the reproductive spores from the sac inside

Curvularia geniculata fungus, SEM
Curvularia geniculata fungus. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the fruiting body of the mould fungus Curvularia geniculata

Bracket fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus)
Bracket fungus. Young sulphur-coloured fruiting body of the edible bracket fungus known as the chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), growing on a living willow tree

Bracket fungus (Daedaleopsis confragosa)
Blushing bracket fungus (Daedaleopsis confragosa). Close-up of the underside of the blushing bracket fungus showing its pores. The pores are the ends of the tubes within which the spores are produced

Bracket fungus (Polyporus squamosus)
Bracket fungus. Dryads saddle (Polyporus squamosus) bracket fungus on a tree

Parasol mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera). Photographed in Narke, Sweden

Psathyrella mushrooms after forest fire
Psathyrella pennata mushrooms growing one year after a forest fire. This fire took place in a clear-felled area in the Tiveden forest, in Vastra Gotaland County, Sweden

Geopyxis elf-cup fungi after forest fire
Geopyxis carbonaria elf-cup fungi growing one year after a forest fire. This fire took place in a clear-felled area in the Tiveden forest, in Vastra Gotaland County, Sweden

Reishi fungus
Reishe fungus (Ganoderma lucidum) growing on a dead tree. Photographed in Narke, Sweden

Honey fungus (Armillaria mellea) growing on a tree trunk. Photogroahed in Narke, Sweden

Jersey cow bolete (Suillus bovinus). Photographed in Narke, Sweden

Myxomphalia mushroom after forest fire
Myxomphalia maura mushrooms growing one year after a forest fire. This fire took place in a clear-felled area in the Tiveden forest, in Vastra Gotaland County, Sweden

Helvella macropus mushroom
Helvella macropus fungus fruiting bodies. Photographed in Narke, Sweden

Hares ear fungus (Otidea onotica). Photographed in Narke, Sweden

Peziza cup fungus after forest fire
Peziza cup fungus (Peziza lobulata) growing two months after a forest fire. This fire took place in a clear-felled area in the Tiveden forest, in Vastra Gotaland County, Sweden

Plant regrowth after forest fire
Plant regrowth one year after a forest fire. The plants and fungi seen here include Pholiota highlandensis mushrooms (lower left), the common liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha, white-green, centre)

Birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum) mushroom
Brown birch bolete (Leccinum scabrum) mushroom growing amongst common heather (Calluna vulgaris). Photographed in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, in August

Mushroom gill cap, light micrograph. Transverse section through the cap of a common mushroom (Psalliota sp.) showing the gill lamellae (white)

Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) mushrooms growing amongst common heather (Calluna vulgaris) in an ancient Caledonian Scots Pine woodland

Mould fruiting bodies, light micrograph. Black mould (Rhizopus nigricans) fruiting bodies (top and upper right) liberating spores

Aspergillus fungus spores, SEM
Aspergillus fungus spores, coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM). These chains of spores (orange) are the reproductive cells of the fruiting body, or conidiophore

Amanita (Amanita frostiana) mushroom
Frosts amanita (Amanita frostiana) mushroom. Photographed in Vermont, USA

Woolly gomphus (Gomphus floccosus) mushroom. Photographed in Vermont, USA

Dry rot fungus. Dry rot, unlike its name suggests, infects damp timber. The term refers to the growth of either of two fungi

Bleeding mycena mushrooms (Mycena haemotopus). Bleeding mycenas are so called because they release a reddish juice when cut. They grow on rotting wood, reaching about 3-8 centimetres in height

Earth star mushroom (Geastrum triplex) growing in woodland soil. It has released (puffed) a cloud of reproductive spores (upper centre)

Mushroom surface, SEM
Mushroom surface. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the spore-bearing surface of a hen of the woods mushroom (Grifola frondosa). This surface is found on the underside of the mushroom

Mushroom gills. Macrophotograph of the gills of an unidentified double capped mushroom. Gills are found on the underside of the cap (fruiting body) and hold the fungal spores

Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria) mushroom lying among ling heather (Calluna vulgaris). This fungus is poisonous if ingested, however it is often used for its hallucinogenic properties when used in small

Bog beacon fungus (Mitrula paludosa)
Bog beacon fungus (Mitrula paludosa, orange) amongst sphagnum moss in a bog. Photographed in the Cairngorms National Park, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, in June

Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) growing on a tree trunk. These fruiting bodies (reproductive structures) are produced year-round by the fungus in large clusters

Crimson wax cap mushroom (Hygrocybe punicea). Photographed in the New Forest, UK

Stinky squid fungus

Pipe club fungus (Clavariadelphus fistulosus) on a tree branch

Bracket fungus (class Basidiomycetes). This fungus forms these fruiting bodies to spread its reproductive spores through surface pores. Photographed in Vermont, USA

Honey fungus mushrooms or bootlace mushrooms (Armillaria mellea). This fungus is found on or around the trunks of coniferous and deciduous trees

Fungus (Lepista caespitose). Photographed in Russia

Fungal spores, SEM
Fungal spores. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of fungal spores on a fruiting body of an Aspergillus sp. fungus. The name for such a fruiting body is a conidiophore

Fruiting bodies of fungus, Cordyceps
Parasitic fungus. Fruiting bodies from a parasitic fungus of the Cordyceps sp. Three brown club-like fruiting bodies are seen emerging from the forest ground

Parasol mushrooms, Lepiota procera
Parasol mushrooms. The fruiting bodies of Lepiota procera, the Parasol mushroom. This large mushroom produces a flattened pale brown cap of up to 25cm diameter

Fly Agaric funghi in Windermere Cumbria UK
Ashley Cooper / SpecialistStock

All Professionally Made to Order for Quick Shipping

"Fruiting Body: A Fascinating World of Mushroom and Slime Moulds" Nature's artistic creations never cease to amaze us, especially when it comes to the diverse forms and structures found in fruiting bodies. From the iconic Fly agaric mushrooms with their vibrant red caps speckled with white dots, to the intricate patterns of mushroom gills observed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM), these organisms captivate our imagination. But it doesn't stop there. The world of fruiting bodies extends beyond mushrooms alone. Take, for instance, the fruiting bodies of Rhizopus oligosporus, a type of mold used in food fermentation processes like tempeh production. These tiny structures play a crucial role in transforming ingredients into delicious culinary delights. Moving on from molds to lichens, we encounter the enchanting Cup lichen (Cladonia floerkeana). Its cup-shaped fruiting body adds an ethereal touch to forest floors or rocky landscapes where it thrives. And then there are slime moulds – peculiar organisms that blur the line between fungi and protists. In Buckinghamshire, England's woodlands during November, Stemonitopsis typhina sporangia can be spotted growing on bark edges. These slimy masses release spores as they mature—a mesmerizing sight captured through focus stacking photography techniques. Another slime mould species found in Buckinghamshire is Metatrichia floriformis. Its line of split-open sporangia reveals delicate spore-filled interiors against a backdrop of winter scenery—nature's own miniature explosions frozen in time. Zooming even closer into this microscopic world brings us Lamproderma scintillans—a slime mould boasting 1mm tall sporangia that shimmer like stars under magnification—an awe-inspiring spectacle hidden within nature's nooks and crannies.