spiders

very true. Ive read that as well... There has to be a few spores still viable in a huge print. If your worried just keep streaking them on more plates - there bound to germinate somewhere.

It was near yulara actually. Loved it there

I have just returned from a fabulous week spent in the top-end of Australia - camping under the stars in the desert. During my travels I came across an astronomer who had been living in the desert for an extended period of time primarily because of the lack of sky-glow or neon from cities. While he imparted to our group of nine information about the stars, he calmly said, 'And there, that flashing star near the tail of scorpio. That is neither a satelite, because it flashes, or a plane because it is changing direction and has no red lights.' All of us greatly excited, we began to discuss UFOs because a member of our party had seen the Minmin lights in QLD, and upon our first evening in the area we had spoken to locals (true locals btw!) about the lights that they regularly saw in this particular area of Australia. He had told us that the indigenous peoples had enjoyed watching the 'blue' lights, but never the 'red' lights as they made you go 'crazy!' The astronomer quite matter-of-factly told us that when he arrived in the outback he did not believe in UFOs, but had seen many, many unexplained things - particularly in areas of particular spiritual significance. He said that he held a viewing, inviting respected astronomers from all over Australia one evening, and the afternoon before, received a phone-call from an indigenous star-gazer who told him to watch the 'south-west at 9.15'. He and the party of respected astronomers did so, and were baffled when a red and blue light appeared from no-where- rose and flashed in the sky, then broke into to 'thousands' of little lights that all traveled to different parts of the horizon. The other astronomers were enraged and some walked out - never to speak to this man again. They could not believe that out local astronomer had not played a trick on them. Weeks later, his credit severely dented, he got a call from one of these astronomers who had come up with the theory that the strange flash was an experimental radar system from Perth. WHen the astronomer told the aboriginal elder about this theory, the elder laughed and turned away exclaiming 'wiya!' (no) Another evening his partner was pointing out to a tour group the large star of canopus, when an equally bright star next to Canopus attracted her attention. "and that star,' she whispered to the tour, 'shouldnt be there.' As soon as she had said the words, the star blinked out to the astonishment of all attending! The monoliths in the area - and the vast landscape itself has a strong spirit or presence that i felt in my dreams that evening. The site of a monolith and an eon flashing in a second as if nothing - and ancient presence. Truely Australia's most mystical place We watched the flashing lights and the darting points of light dance across the sky nightly [This message has been edited by bluemeanie (edited 27 September 2002).]

i dont remember having flowers like that, but it looks just like it otherwise. It had seedpods that looked somewhat like a circle with little hooks on the side [This message has been edited by bluemeanie (edited 04 October 2002).]

Recentally in Northern Australia I was shown a plant called a rattle pod or rattle nut Grevilea (excuse the spelling) that has a narcotic effect. I can obtain seeds of this plant if anyone is interested.

Grevillea stenobotrya

You should get cubies and pans up there in periods when its wet, but warm. Spring can be a good time, but it depends and its been a drought up there. Spores have lasted for me up to fourteen monthes, but ive never tried longer - give it a go...

Well to be honest i may find it easier to get seeds of this plant than to find out its tax. name. It was called a Rattlepod Grevilea on a small sign near Uluru. My girlfriend thinks that this may not be right however. It is traditionally burnt - seedpods and leaves and then added to snuff for chewing. NT was great Reville! Ive got some stories about it. Ill have seeds of these and Bush tomatoes in about three weeks hopefully.

Australia is a camper's dream.

I havent read the study, but the report on the news said that 'a monkey was given three es in a nine hour period, and then was found to have a highly reduced dopamine level in his brain.' I dont understand the implications with that statement - according to the report, this some how means that these dopamine levels will stay reduced (but this was never explained in the report on tv) and that this would significantly increase the chances of Parkinson onset in later life. I doubt the monkey will get parkinson now they have opened up its brain - poor bastard! Why cant they just wait and see in 40 years or so... Better than killing/harming poo animals.

It was in the northern territory I love the quote 'it will be like me "explaining" what the colour of blue looks like to a visually blind person...' [This message has been edited by bluemeanie (edited 28 September 2002).]

and no mushrooms were harmed in the experience!

Where we were camping was 200kms from the nearest station or roadhouse, next to a medium-sizerd meteor crater in NT. From the time we arrived in NT we were hearing all sorts of stories. There is even a town simnilar to Roswell, New Mexico, with the tourist cry, come stay with the UFOs and all this kind of thing. The desert landscape in NT is amazing - vast and endless and with a strong spiritual resonance - the desert oaks, mulgas and acacias on top of the red-sand-dunes and spinifex sterching out forever in ever direction with monolithic stones poping up periodically - all with spiritual and historical significance to the indigenous peoples. Truely awesome! In fact as ive travelled i have experienced a few different varieties of paranormal experience. On Phillip Island one evening when i was 18 my girlfriend at the time and i saw a strange moon sized orange ball calmly, and silently, cruise over our head out towards the ocean. The ball of light was apparently reported nightly from one of those islands out in the Bass Strait. I was also reading in the paper of areas in the Grampians where people nightly see UFOS - so common infact, that the locals are quote 'bored with them'. I think the UFOs and lights are far more to do with the resonant spirituality of the place than aliens themselves. If your interested in alternate hypothesis' of paranormal activity - pls read 'the Mothman Prophercies' by John Keel - and its NOTHING like the movie!!! I have also lived in a haunted house - and that was a freaky experience!!!!!!!!!!!

do you know what there tax. name is?

Im not sure if many people are familiar with bush tomatoes but i have a few seeds of this desert species for those that are. BTW - they dont taste like tomatoes!!

i was wondering about this in the paper the other day... ouch and queezy are two words that come to mind

You can pasturize instead of sterilise your straw by dunking it in hot water for an extended period. My PC is only about 10psi so i do exactly what reville suggests.

It is interesting when it FINALLY downloads... These are Guzman's original delineations of Subaeruginosa

For very detailed info straight from Guzman and Watling's original delineation of Subaeruginosa into Australiana, Tasmaniana and Eucalypta try this link pdf: http://www.fungifun.com/tgp/tgp301-400.pdf the best info ive found on the web to date!

If it has a purple-brown sporeprint it could be Ps.Tasmaniana, if its black its a pan

The mycologist on the film seems to know his stuff - the rest is pretty much the usual 'mushrooms are great and they started all world religions' diatribe

To get a definative answer we will need to conduct a protein test or something like that. Anyway, im moving towards the conclusion that firstly Stamets is wrong about ps.Subaeruginosa - this mushroom has hyaline lageniform to lechy. pluerocystidia with large spores 12-16 by 6-8. This mushroom is nearly identical to Guzman's Australiana. Of this microscopic mushroom there seems to be two distinct varieties - the orangey-capped, umbonated, heavily translucent/straite Australiana lookalike or the wavy-capped brown-capped mushroom that ranges in size significantly. Waterdragon's version looks strongly like Eucalypta rather than Australiana. Next we have Waterdragons strange looking B and C mushroom that is very thin-stemmed and light gilled, with a flat non-umbonated cap. It had three types of hyaline p.cystidia, cylindrical mucronate, a cylindrical type with a strange hook and a tit shaped cystidia with a central nipple. D has four types of p.cystidia ranging from egg shaped to three variations of ventricose rostrate. It could be possible that D is Psilocybe Eucalypta as described by Guzman and it fits microscopic characteristics - although the spore-size hasnt been measured. B and C seem very unique and it doesnt really fit any of Guzman or Cleland's psilocybes. [This message has been edited by bluemeanie (edited 12 September 2002).]

Finally got some feedback from one of the three mycologists that are examining your specimens. As im sure you guessed, the pale gilled specimen was sterile and sporeless - possibly similar to the other pale-capped specimen. I should have results from this first guy by the end of the weekend.

Ive got more results: A - lageniform to lechy. p.cystidia indicates that is is our classic Ps.Australiana/Subaeruginosa (which ever you want to call it) B and C have mucronate p.cystidia with the rare lageniform. p.cystidia have small apexs, some on B have a slight hook on one side and a third type that is more common with c has a shape like 'a round tit with elongated nipple.' D has four types of p.cystidia differing in the length of the apex all Ventricose Rostrate. I dont have any books here at the moment as so i cant do any research - ill try and do a search to determine which mushroom if any are know with B,C, and D's microscopic characteristics.

Bali is Copelandia heaven!! That I know for sure...