Cobalt Crust Fungus (Terana caerulea)
I have been secretly wishing to find this beautiful crust fungus again for a couple of years now. I first found it near this same location when were scoping out our (now acquired) land in Gordon County, GA, US. The shots I got back then were blurry and terrible, so hopefully I did this one a little bit better justice. <3 It was growing on the underside of a small to medium-sized (fallen) hardwood branch in a dense mixed forest valley. This location is quite moist as there are some springs that like to bubble up in the valley. January 7, 2020.
The blue pigment responsible for the vibrant hue is thelephoric acid. According to wikipedia: "Thelephoric acid has been shown to inhibit prolyl endopeptidase, an enzyme that has a role in processing proteins (specifically, amyloid precursor protein) in Alzheimer's disease."
"Terana caerulea" is a saprobic crust fungus in the family Phanerochaetaceae. Usually found in warm, damp hardwood forests on the undersides of fallen logs and branches of deciduous trees, this unique fungus has been described as "blue velvet on a stick".
