T. agrippina

[Charles Gavette]

Thanks so much to both Pierre and Chris. These images could be scaled
precisely, laminated and used to show in the classroom or elsewhere.
Certainly someone has done this technique. It should be a wonderful way for
kids as well as adults to get the actual feel of their size in nature, and
the resolution is great. For what it is worth, the folks at Southern
Illinois University have developed and given mycology teachers a way for
students to easily handle preserved higher fungi. It is a paraplast process
whereby highly-refined wax is infiltrated into fungal tissue via tertiary
butyl alcohol, replacing the water in the fungal cell. I have done this
process with morels(Morchella esculenta), and they came out looking as if
they had just been plucked from the soil. As long as the storage is cool and
dry, they remain thus for a long time. It is said, though, that color loss
will occur in more colorful species. Thanks again for the marvelous photos
and the responses.




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