Ice has carpeted the forest floor. At night, I walk from my tent to the toilets and my head torch hits the ground, creating a sparkling, disorienting glitter. I look up and can see the Milky Way. I think about how tomorrow the mushrooms must be cryogenically frozen. Preserved.
This is the third time I’ve revisited the Kerr Bay campground, each time getting a bit chillier. I walk the same trails: Honeydew, Lakehead, and the Peninsula to see what new growth I can find.
One of the best (so far) is the toothy Hydnum mcnabbianum.
I had initially thought they were Hydnellum, and specific to the Nelson Lakes region. I am used to seeing this species display a more brick-red/ochre cap from the Fiordlands.
Just past the mini-waterfall and bridge along the side of the track, I see rows of teeth. Stalactites suspended underneath fleshy caps that appeared dark brown, almost a gray-blue.
Later, I’d walk to the opposite side of Lake Rotoiti to meander along the Peninsular Track. I stopped by my old log, which still has the rare Cheimonophyllum roseum.
