A Shortcut to Mushrooms

I love mushrooms.  It's one of two characteristics that I share with hobbits, and therefore I'm quite proud of it.  (The other characteristic is my height.  I'm very short. :p)  But mushrooms are more than just pizza toppings and casserole fillers!  They're one of my favorite things in nature, because a) they're cute b) they're fascinating to study, and c) they make awesome pictures.  So today I'm going to share with you, my dear readers, some pictures of mushrooms that I took yesterday, along with any mushroom-ish thoughts that come into my head. 

Before I show you the pictures, let me just say that I am by no means a talented photographer.  The only camera I own is the dreaded point-and-shoot - This one.  (Mine's blue, though. And really, it's a good camera.  Just...not professional.)

Aren't they cuuuuute?

This is the same clump, only viewed from the top.  Notice the reddish splotches that weren't in the other picture.  Kinda weird, no?

I know, I know.  "What?  That's not a mushroom!"  Yes...but it is a sprig of orange leaves.  That's very important, you see, because orange leaves = autumn.  I'm quite ready for autumn, and even though it's only August, I was super excited when I found this bunch.  It's strange...I've always loved summer.  This year though, I wasn't interested.  It's been "ohhhhh, I wish it were fall!"  since June.
Anyway.  Mushrooms.

The cap of this one is a little bit out of focus.  You do know which part is the cap...right?
Just in case, here's a diagram of a mushroom.  I wish the ones in textbooks looked like this!

There we go.  Now you know all about mushroom structure.  End of science lesson.

Speaking of science lessons, I'd like to point out that children love learning about fungi.  If your children/siblings/small neighbors/cousins are ever bored and you're supposed to entertain them, take them on a mushroom hunt.  Show them all the different parts and admire the pretty colors and textures.  (Just don't let them touch the mushrooms.  Some parents - like my dad - tend to freak out over their children touching mushrooms.  It's understandable because they're potentially poisonous, but personally I don't think it's a problem.  Just make sure the little ones don't put them in their mouths.)  If the children are a bit older, "pick" a couple mushrooms, take them home, and have the children sketch them.

The above mushroom is my mom's favorite.  She majored in photography, so I'm very flattered when she likes my pictures.

I took that one and uploaded it to Picknik, where I had a blast editing it up in different ways.  Editing tools are fun.  So  I will proceed to bombard you with some of my edits.

I love that one.  It's so fairytale-ish!

My mother didn't like this one much.  She said it wasn't happy looking. It isn't, really, but I think it sort of fit the "earthiness" of mushrooms.  And it looks cool.

I made one hot pink, just because.

And I finish with a happy one - literally!  The credit for this goes to my 5-year-old brother, who told me to put a mustache on the mushroom.  I didn't put the mustache, but I did put the rest of the face!

One last thing.  I do not mind if you use my pictures, as long as you credit me!  Please do not try to pass my photographs or edits off as your own.  Also, I'd appreciate it if you told me that you're using one of my pictures, but that's not obligatory.  I'd be happy to know that people like my things.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my shortcut to mushrooms!  

Not my picture - Google Images