Tagged: diatrypoid

Camarops petersii is one of the more alien-looking things you’ll come across in the woods of eastern North America. It looks like someone had a glob of tar in a paper bag, set the bag down on a log, and ripped away most of the bag leaving the tar sitting on a ripped circle of paper bag. The surface of this mushroom is black, wet, and pimply, reminiscent of a dog’s nose. This similarity has earned it the common name “Dog’s Nose Fungus.” C. petersii is one of the few mushrooms I advise against touching. It’s perfectly safe to touch, but your fingers will get covered in inky black slime. The first time I found this mushroom was a little jarring; its bizarre combination of features (including the fact that it was wet despite having had about a month of no rain) made the fungus look otherworldly.