Monika F (aka monika & manfred@Flickr) is the contributor of today's photograph (original via BPotD Flickr Pool). Thank you!

One of the common names for this species isn't well-illustrated by this photograph of a mature specimen. A photograph of younger individuals on the Fungi of California site, however, fully justifies the common name: plums and custard. Also known as red-haired agaric, Tricholomopsis rutilans is native to coniferous woodlands of the Northern Hemisphere (and before anyone asks, it's only barely edible).

Michael Kuo and Roger Phillips both provide descriptions of this fungus. If you're interested in more photographs, the folks at MushroomObserver.org have a series of images on Tricholomopsis rutilans. The Illinois Mycological Society provides a key-based description of this fungus, as well.

In BPotD news, a photograph from a couple years ago is appearing in film! This image of the golden spruce makes a few-second cameo in Mark Leiren-Young's “The Green Chain” (warning: turn your speakers down). The Green Chain recently debuted at the Montreal World Film Festival and is now playing at the Vancouver International Film Festival, where it's been nominated for a “Climate for Change” award. I'll let you know what I think of the film next week after viewing it, but from what little I've seen so far, it has me intrigued (here's the first review via The Green Chain Weblog).

If you're interested in forestry issues, you should also be following Mark's “Trees and Us” podcasts on The Tyee: Trees and Us with Severn Cullis-Suzuki, Why Humans and Nature Collide with John Vaillant and Why Rocket Science is Easier Than Forestry with Jean-Pierre Kiekens.