A small scarlet-colored fungus associating foxes drinking alcohol
Today is March 3rd, and it snowed a little last night. It’s been warm until recently, but I felt it suddenly became cold again. When I went to the forest as usual, the snow remained slightly on the ground.
I found a small scarlet-colored fungus bearing white hairs on the exterior growing on the ground. The fungal body looks like a small ball with a hole in the center.
It is called Shirokitsune No Sakazuki in Japanese. Literally translated, Shirokitsune means a white fox and Sakazuki means a small porcelain cup for drinking alcohol, namely sake. Scientific name is Microstoma floccosum, a kind of Ascomycetes fungus.
This fungus looks like as if it opens its mouth widely.
Actually, I happened to find the same fungus near here last March. At that time, the fungus was the same shape as those of the above photos, as I mentioned earlier, round fruit bodies with a hole in the center.
So, I brought back the fungus accompanied with dead branches for further observation.
After 4 days, the fungal bodies changed drastically. It had turned to deep funnel-shaped, scarlet-colored fruit bodies.
Due to its shape, in long time ago, our ancestor probably imagined that a white fox in the forest would be drinking alcohol, "sake", using this fungus as a cup.
Because "white hairs" were bearing on the fungal body, it might be the case that our ancestor associated a white fox.
There are many plants and mushrooms that have a prefix "fox's" added to the beginning of their Japanese name. In the past, foxes were probably so familiar that they were used as a prefix.
Believe it or not, but a pair of fox have been appearing sometimes around my house at midnight. Foxes bark in unique voice. However, when I listen to their barking carefully, I feel it's a little similar to dog's barking.
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