What are these weird things?

March 26, 2009 9:52 PM

Weird stuff I found in Canada: what kind of mushrooms are these? What kind of sea creatures are these?

Mushrooms are large (I'd say around 6 inches or so in diameter, on average), browny black and abundant. Time: October. Location: woodland in the Rockies. You can't see this from the photo, but instead of gills, they have dark tan spines. They're weird and big and meaty and spiny.

The sea creatures are from Vancouver Island, and are likely just bejewelled elephant's feet stuck on the end of carrots. But in the event they're not - the ends are hard and mother-of-pearly, and end in a dark red ridge. Are they anemones? What kind?

posted by Beautiful Screaming Lady to science & nature (3 answers total)

The sea creatures are goose-neck barnacles
posted by miss meg at 10:00 PM on March 26, 2009

Toss those Goose barnacles on the barbie, you can smell when they are done, slit them open with small scissors, the sweet stalk inside is lobster y delicious!
posted by hortense at 10:27 PM on March 26, 2009

The mushrooms are probably sarcodon imbricatus. They grow in the Rockies frequently...were they near conifers? They're mycorrhizal with them.
posted by ayerarcturus at 10:33 PM on March 26, 2009