Alan Rockefeller
@alanrockefeller
Mycologist based in the Bay Area, California.
Gomphrena pulchella (globe amaranth) photographed in 365 nm UV light at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
Pectiantia pentandra in 365 nm UV light. Someone handed me this leaf during a UV night hike above Boulder, Colorado the other night and I was blown away by its beauty. The bright yellow fluorescence is due to the presence of quercetin and kaempferol glycosides.
I learned a lot from insect photographer Dara Ojo, who joined our recent trip to Costa Rica and helped me take this picture of Copaxa decrescens. OM System OM-1 / 90mm macro / iso 200. #macrophotography #moths #costarica #explorewithdara #omsystem
Badhamia utricularis found hanging from the underside of a California bay tree. #slimemolds #fungifriends #myxos
This Costa Rica trip starts in 64 days! We will be exploring the biodiversity of high elevation páramo & medium elevation cloud forest habitats. More info: www.mycena.llc/costarica-fo...
Mycena chloroxantha photographed recently in Oxapampa, Peru. The round cells are cherocytes which make up the universal veil - whitish, spiny acanthocytes are also visible. Described in 1983 from Brazil by Rolf Singer. Mushroom Observer # 628987 / iNat 341877230 #fungifriends #mycology #mycena
A cool little Mycena that I photographed in Oxapampa, Perú. Never seen one with this cool stem texture before, no idea which species it could be. Olympus OM-1 / 90 mm macro lens / 180 images stacked, ISO 200, f/5. #mushrooms #mycena #fungifriends #olympus
A cool leafhopper I photographed a couple days ago in Perú. Anyone know what species or genus it is? Reminds me a bit of Molomea but leafhoppers are really diverse.
Ceratiomyxa sphaerosperma from Mera, Pastaza, Ecuador. This tiny slime mold makes its spores on little stalks, giving it a distinctive appearance. My favorite feature of these are the glass-like stems. Olympus OM-1 / 90mm macro lens / MC20 2x teleconverter
Coprinopsis section Coprinopsis photographed yesterday in Tandayapa, Ecuador.
One of my favorite flowers, Lopezia racemosa. Second photo in 365 nanometer ultraviolet. The native range of this plant is Mexico through Central America. Extremely rare in cultivation - grown in California by Alan Rockefeller and @crime_pays_but_botany_doesnt - seed collected in Michoacán. #plants
A Steller's jay that I saw this weekend at Salt Point State Park, California, USA. #birds
The interior of the peridioles of Nidula niveotomentosa (a birds nest fungus) have surprising green fluorescence in 365 nanometer UV light. Photographed yesterday in Mendocino County, California. Sliced in half with a sharp razor blade. #fungi #mycology #mushrooms #fungifriends #uvphotography
In 2025 I made 3000 iNaturalist observations and found 1582 species, 682 of them I had never seen before. I made 46,000 identifications for other people. I did a 5 month road trip to the southwest and east coast, went to Ecuador twice and Costa Rica once. Also wrote lots of Python (Github)
This is the second time I have photographed one of my favorite Mycena species - this one is found on leaves and has regular water droplets along the stem for a reason which remains a mystery to me. From the Chocó Andino region of Ecuador. #mycology #fungi #mycena #fungifriends
Joey from Crime Pays But Botany Doesn't and I are leading a two-week trip to Ecuador this February with local botanists, mycologists, and herpetologists. Details at www.mycena.llc The trip includes workshops on plant and mushroom identification, taxonomy, and photography techniques.
Mushroom hunt this Sunday in Quito, Ecuador with the Mycophilic Association of Ecuador and UrbanFunga. Cost: $1 USD Sunday, November 30, 2025 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM Parque Metropolitano Guangüiltagua Register here: forms.gle/qrgP8PQsiVL5...
I'm giving a talk on active mushrooms Dec 10 in Berkeley, California. Chad Hyatt will be there serving tacos. 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm - $20 in-person, $15 streaming
Metacampanella subdendrophora growing on scotch broom in Pacific County, Washington. #metacampanella #mycology #macrophotography #fungi #fungifriends
Mycena tenerrima from Pacific County, Washington. This tiny and widespread Mycena is in Mycena sect. Sacchariferae due to the powdery cap texture, stem with long setae and disc at the stem base. #fungi #mycology #mycena #fungifriends
Psilocybe azurescens in 365 nm ultraviolet light + white light. Seen a couple days ago in Pacific County, Washington. #fungi #mycology #ultravioletphotography
Lactarius subgenus Russularia found 10 seconds ago in Aberdeen, Washington #fungifriends #fungi #mushrooms
An undescribed Mycena from the M. amicta group photographed yesterday in Aberdeen, Washington. This group of species is recognizable due to the blue colors, especially on the stem base and the conspicuous setae on the stem. #fungi #mycology #fungifriends #photography
An unknown parasite on Xylaria from Pastaza, Ecuador. #mycology #fungi #fungifriends #xylaria
Psilocybe yungensis that I found Feb '25 in Pastaza, Ecuador. This species gets its name from the Yungas region of Bolivia, where it was discovered in 1958. #fungi #fungifriends #psilocybe #mycology #photograhy
It's been a spectacular month in Colorado, but now it's time to head east for the Ohio Mushroom Festival. I'll be leading forays and giving talks - hope to see you all there! ohiomushroomfestival.com
Mycena "sp-AZ03" that Scott Ostuni spotted near Fox Mountain, Colorado last year. I just got a sequence of it back from Mycota Lab. This probably undescribed species currently only known from Colorado and Arizona. iNat 235426392 / MO 556415 #fungi #mycena #mushrooms #fungifriends
The first known photo of Trichoderma sp. ‘TX01’ - a rare and probably undescribed species of Trichoderma I collected on a vine in Texas in November, 2022. The only match in Genbank is an unnamed collection from Florida. iNat 140831069 / MO 581563 #fungi #trichoderma #dnabarcoding #fungifriends