Souped-up Garden: Ink Cap Mushrooms, Deliquescence & Art

A quartet of ink cap mushrooms (Coprinus comatus) recently appeared in a sizable planter filled with lobelia.

The hefty pot is supported by another large pot.

The whole structure makes a nice visual closure for the main garden path.

Within forty-eight hours, the ink caps transformed into an elongated button shape, fresh and edible, to a form more open with beginnings of inkiness.

The underneath of the cap blackened with curling edges.

The perimeter kept curling and blackening.

Little pieces broke off as they softened.

The cap finally became complete goop.

All the clumps of ink were placed in a recycled yogurt container, water added, and stirred well.

A quick sketch was made with a slender brush resulting in a drawing of an ink cap using the ink made from itself.

À la prochaine!

Souped-up Garden