Bob Roninger of Ben Lomond has seen quite a few fungi in his 94 years of life. This winter, the granddaddy of them all sprouted up in his front yard.
The colossal fungus measures 31 inches long, 12 inches high and 18 inches wide.
“I had never seen anything like it,” Roninger said. “That is the biggest darn thing I have ever seen.”
The mushroom is a honey mushroom (Armillaria mellea), according to Dennis Nolan of the Santa Cruz Fungus Federation.
“It’s best to remove this tree stump,” Nolan said. “Honey mushrooms will spread to other live trees and kill them.”
Roninger’s find preceded the weekend’s Santa Cruz Fungus Fair at the Louden Nelson Community Center. The 37th annual fair took place Friday and Saturday, Jan. 7 and 8.
For information: www.scfungusfair.org.
