🍄 Fungi & The Natural Beauty Of Steung Kach, Cambodia 🏞️
There is always something interesting to snap down by the river's edge here in Steung Kach, whether fungi, plants, or creatures.
First, Over The Mountain Pass ⛰️
6 days a week, rain or shine, there have to drive the tuk-tuk over a long mountain pass to pick the kids up from school, and occasionally I have to take them too if our neighbor is unable to drop them off on his way to work. By the time I arrive back home from the drive, I usually want to go to bed and give up on the day, but there are unending works that need to be completed.
Forget It, Let's Swim 🏊♀️
If the drive back home is exceptionally brutal and the weather is good, it almost certainly means a quick swim is in order. On this day our little neighbor boy Ah-Bom was with us. We asked if he liked swimming in the river, and he told us he goes all the time, loves it. Well, upon arriving at the mouth of the river, Ah-Bom came clean and let us know he's not been to the river much at all in his three years of existence.
I was already at the river trying to take fungi and insect pictures before the kids arrived, knowing once they'd joined me that would be impossible. The river is so loud that we have to communicate with hand signals, so I motioned to Monkey-B to descend and take Ah-Bom with her.
Once Monkey-B and Ah-Bom arrived at the river's edge, I noticed he was nervous even in a very safe place with only a few centimeters of water. I let Monkey-B down by telling her she'd have to stay with her little buddy whether he chooses to enter the water or not. He didn't want anything to do with a lifejacket, and instead played with a much more familiar friend, mud.
Quick, Nature Photos Now 🍒
I knew Monkey-B would have little patience for playing with mud for long, so in a period of about 3-4 minutes I managed to find a few interesting things to snap. There is a massive black and yellow spider that I'd love to shoot, but it has spun a web far too high to get a decent shot, so you'll just have to believe me, and probably don't eat anything bright red. I don't know if these berries are edible, but they sure are beautiful, one of the few red things to be found in this forest.
There is much more fungi to discover than anything else. The place is full of tiny tributaries, and there is lots of shade and rotting fallen trees, so it's a natural fungi nursery. There are only two or three mushrooms in Cambodia that I am comfortable picking and eating, and none of the ones I've shared with you are any of those.
This above fungi reminds me of snow fungus a bit, something we usually buy in dehydrated form. I am not sure if this is some kind of snow fungus, but it certainly is beautiful. I definitely need to return with my Nikon for some better shots. It's not a DSLR, but I feel it takes better pics than my iPhone 8.
Of course this would involve ferrying my camera across the water and also taking pictures where I could easily drop my camera in the creeks or river. As soon as I saw the above multicolored beauties, Ah-Bom was getting bored with the mud, so I had to call it quits and make this my Hive content for the day. Peace out from Steung Kach yo!
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before commenting I first smiled a little, when I saw your post about mushrooms....
unexpectedly, you are also a professional photographer in the field of mushroom types, the way you take pictures in my opinion is correct and correct, just polish a little more it is perfect, do you want to learn to use a macro lens,...?? ??
if you want to learn to use a macro lens,,,, I will always share my knowledge with you about using a macro lens....
Honestly, I was really surprised when I saw the picture of the top mushroom, the way it was taken was really professional..
talking about mushrooms around your home, no doubt there are many types of mushrooms that grow there, various colors and various types exist in your residence, some are small and some are large, , honestly my heartache with Harry the lamb my idol who is no longer with us for now, the wound was almost healed when I saw the picture of the mushroom that you presented on this occasion .. although the lamb no one can replace it with anyone, at least that mushroom can heal my heart a little....
I'd love to have a macro lens and more time for photography, but I often have as little as 10 minutes to take photos for Hive content. A big regret I have is that I have a $300 camera, not DSLR, but a little better than my iPhone camera, and I almost never use it because it takes more time to prepare and use. My phone camera is almost always with me, so it's more often I see something of interest and pull out the phone for quick casual pics.
Hopefully when we have some renters in the cabin, the extra income will allow me to spend more time on hobbies like this. My wife's iPhone 8+ does well with macro shots, but my phone gets blurry when I get too close, so macro shots aren't possible with it. The photos in this post are as close as I can get with my iPhone8 and still have clear images.
Long live Harry!
Lucky to be near a flowing river, after a day of activities with high weather and humidity, jumping into the river for a swim is the right choice. Oh, look at that rainbow-colored mushroom, it sure doesn't appear often.
It is a truly magical place, we love Steung Kach. We are here in the capital now, and I can't stop thinking about how I'd rather be swimming in the river.
So many amazing things you show us every day i really feel the amazing nature in your place.
We are here in the capital now and we miss the river so much. We are always hot and sweaty when we leave the moutain.
The last pic mushroom looks beautiful to be eat. I wonder can it be eaten? You didn't eat any mushroom right sir.
I didn't eat any of them because I wasn't sure. With mushrooms, unless you are 100% sure they're edible, it's best not to pick them. The big white one reminded me of snow fungus, but I didn't feel like taking any risks. Back in the USA I am a little more confident picking wild mushrooms because I've spent much more time in the forest there.
Yes sir correct. Better don't take any wild mushroom nor fungus. No matter is base white color or what. Safety always comes first sir.
I am very interested in the photos you share. Mushroom photos are also very beautiful.
Thank you my friend, they are much more fascinating through the lens, and I feel lucky to have the shots.
Some fungi are edible I think you should learn about them. Which one is edible?
I would love to learn more about wild mushrooms in Cambodia, but unfortunately this knowledge is being lost. There are a few species that folks in our village pick, but other than those few varieties nobody is confident to try eating unfamiliar wild mushrooms. Mushrooms are so hard to identify, and learning from a book is not as safe as learning from a person with firsthand experience.
I love seeing mushrooms in your first picture guys.
That's really cool.
So many fungi to be found, rotting wood and wet conditions make it a perfect place.
Those multicolored mushrooms are fascinating! Truly amazing! 😃
Like little rainbow fans just waiting to be snapped.
Amazing fungi's colors! Best regards! 🤗
Beautiful little things, and a nice bokeh background for me too.
These are very beautiful and colourful fungi.
Unless I am on a photo hunt, I almost never notice them. Some things don't look as interesting to the eye as they do through the lens, but those little things were a nice find.
Mushroom is good for my goofiness 😁
The red cherry does look appetising. But then again, won't know if it will cause your lip to swell likes roll of sausage.
I could imagine a more terrifying version of that adventure if I ate the red berries. I showed the girls some Tenacious D videos the other day, and they actually appreciated his sense of humor.
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