All images © Jay Lichter, shared with permission
For years, New Zealand-based mycophile Jay Lichter didn’t think of mushrooms as much more than produce one buys in the supermarket. But he began to notice how much variety exists in the fungi world as he learned to identify different species and appreciate their important ecological role. It wasn’t long before he started paying more attention to slime molds, which often emerge in similar habitats as fungi.
Lichter began taking photos three years ago using an iPhone with a broken screen, but it wasn’t long before he leveled up to a macro camera setup that enables him to capture the microscopic phenomena close-up and in incredible detail. And most of the examples he find are nearby in native forests he feels fortunate to have access to. “I have a few favorite spots that never disappoint,” he tells Colossal, “but I try to keep things varied because you just never know, and that’s what makes things so exciting and novel every time I go out to take photos.”
One of Litchter’s favorites so far is Mycena roseflava, a tiny pink specimen that looks like sugar-coated candy, which he documented due to a stroke of luck. “Its impossibly tiny size and its colour and texture combo is what makes this mushroom in particular my favorite find to date,” he says. “On top of that, it was the very last photo I took on that day, and my camera died immediately afterwards, so I was potentially only seconds away from not being able to capture it at all!”
The diversity of New Zealand’s fungi has inspired a new book project, which Lichter is planning to publish late next year. Explore more of his great finds on Instagram.
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