Strangers in the Garden

Back in my last mushroom post, I admitted I know nothing about them — and that’s true. But perhaps they know something about me.

Ever since I captured my first mushrooms, they’ve been turning up everywhere. Of course, only in season. It’s one thing to meet mushrooms in an autumn forest — where they always find you, given the right place and time. It’s quite another in a botanical garden. This is a place ruled by order: trees planted in neat, shady alleys, paths leading exactly where they were meant to go. And yet here, the mushrooms seem to break the rules — sprouting chaotically, here and there. Unless, of course, chaos itself has its own place in the design.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I got another chance to photograph these strangers. This time, it felt as if they were posing for me with obvious delight. I’m happy to share my second mushroom photo series with you. 📸

One and only. Unimpressed.

A little family. Harmless at first glance.

The clan. All looking stern.

And here’s the king…

…and the queen.

If mushrooms had charisma, it’d look like this.

Edible? Maybe not — but delicious to look at.

Side by side — like old friends.

Posing like he owns the place...

So our performance ends here — for today, at least. Until the next encounter! 🍄

Tobolsk, Siberia, Russia.
August, 2021.
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