I've posted my first photo essay on JPGmag.com. If you vote for me, I have a better chance of getting published. *wink wink*

View here - http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/7710

"This was one of the best summers I've ever seen for mushroom hunting. The air and the ground had been so moist and warm, perfect weather for those little guys to grow in! There were hundreds of different types of mushrooms on the trails behind my home. Hiking has been a favorite pastime of mine, and one day when I decided to go up the trails with my camera, these are what I found!

For a little history...mushrooms are a type of fungus. They are characterized by spore-bearing gills on the underside of their umbrella or cone shaped cap. Toadstools are reference to the inedible, or poisonous mushrooms, or to those that have the classic umbrella-like cap-and-stem form.

Many species of mushrooms seem to appear overnight, but actually all species of mushrooms take several days to form, though they do expand rapidly by the absorption of fluids. Unfortunately, the mushroom fruiting bodies are short-lived.

Mushrooms can be used for dyes, tinder, cooking (many species are high in fiber and include important vitamins), native/folk medicine, biological studies, and the study for controlling mental disease (ocd and migraines).

Mushrooms are often seen in psychedelic artwork, as "magic mushroom" references in movies and TV, and in videogames, such as Mario Brothers. Who doesn't love the 1up mushroom?

All photos were taken in Milan, New York. The 'Village of Milan' is located upstate, in the Hudson River Valley."