Mushrooms In the Sand
Until last Friday, I had never seen mushrooms growing in sand. That day I saw some growing in a small sand-filled depression. Nothing else was growing in the sand. The sand pits were in the Northwest Sands Ecological Landscape in northwest Wisconsin. The mushrooms were probably dune brittlestems feeding on buried organic material. They weren’t dramatic; small brown toadstools similar in color to the sand.
I also found different types of woodland mushrooms growing in dark, moist environments. And a third sort of mushroom had sprung up from the shoulder of a dirt road. These were big and colorful. They stood out like orange beacons.
The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.
— Leo Tolstoy, “War and Peace”