mushrooms or limpets?
I love when nature finds a good form or algorithm and then repeats it in different applications: the Fibonacci series (golden spiral) being the best know example. But yesterday, as I was clipping the teeny tiny stems off these nameless mushrooms that pop all over the yard after a soaking rain, I suddenly saw the caps as nearly undistinguishable from limpet shells. I love limpet shells; looking like miniature rice paddy hats. Before the house fire, I had a nice collection of limpet shells from Florida and the Mediterranean. Today, I have ephemeral mushroom caps instead. I am okay with that.
unidentified small mushroom caps
Aren’t they charming? Mother Nature finds a design/pattern/shape she likes and thinks, “Oh! This is good. Let’s do more of this”. How often have you noticed this? Probably quite often, since STILL is all about noticing.
As a child, my name for limpet shells was volcano shells, collected primarily on Sanibel Island, FL. Seems I remember you had a collection of coquina shells, too?
Sorry you lost so many lovely collections, but it gives you the excuse to go places again, to begin anew.