18Mar 2024 by catbird 1 Comment
Mushroom “Spore” Bombs

Mushroom “Spore” Bombs

Autumn, Craft Project, Earth Day, Garden, Nature Art, Play
As a member of the Plant Wonder Collective, each month I make a craft from the plant of the month. This March is coffee. I was really stumped trying to figure out what to make. Coffee and I are not friends. I had to stop drinking coffee cold turkey in my early 20s for medical reasons and I have never quite forgiven coffee for turning on me. And my husband, who drinks lots of coffee, leaves a little pile of gross coffee grounds on the counter every morning that makes me insane. So I decided I was going to do something with coffee grounds if it killed me. First I made some seed paper with coffee grounds, because of coffee’s high nitrogen content it should theoretically give those seeds a…
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04Sep 2023 by catbird 3 Comments
Spore Prints

Spore Prints

Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Craft Project, Learning, Nature Art, Nature Collection, Nature Journaling
Spore prints are useful tools for identifying mushrooms you find, they also make lovely ephemeral artwork. Fall is a fantastic time to search for mushrooms, it feels like the woods are covered in them this time of year. (And lawns too for that matter.) The "print" part of the spore print is the spores that dropped from the mushroom. The different colors aren't just nice to look at, but a key way to identify mushrooms that look similar. The green prints in this post are from chlorophyllum molybdites common name "the vomiter." As the common name indicates this is absolutely not a mushroom you want to eat, but it looks very similar to others that are edible. Never, ever eat a mushroom without confirmation from an expert. Back to the…
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