Although I may have presented this fungus in an earlier article, this following article was an effort to increase the size of the fungus beetle in order to recognize the species.
When inspecting a massive hemlock shelf fungus in the Blue Ridge Mountains, all of the hikers were attracted by the large number of beetles infesting some fungal tissues. The hemlock varnish shelf fungus, with its colorful shining orange-red surface, was interesting enough. However, the display of many black and orange-red beetles seemed to be an amazing combination; that is, beetles' seemingly matching the color of their host fungus. One member of the hiking crew specialized in beetle identification — he suffered the exciting and delightful emotions of having achieved the rare consequence of a “naturalist's quest.”
Copyright © 2006 William T. Hathaway.