#ghost pipes

[lailoken]

The Mistreatment of a Sacred Plant

Recently, I had an unpleasant emotional and spiritual shock. I struggle a bit to talk about it because of how upset it makes me, but I feel like the subject matter is important enough to warrant the discussion.

As some may know, one of my dearest plant allies is the Ghost Pipe. I work closely with Monotropes in general, but the Tutelary Spirit of Monotropa Uniflora, in particular, serves as a chief Plant Patron of mine. Part of maintaining this relationship involves visiting a specific location in a devotional capacity, in order to watch, tend, and learn from the population of Ghost Pipes that grow there. I went back to this place not long ago, in order to thank the spectral flowers for lending their power and grace to our Handfasting Ritual, and I was horrified to discover that every one of the colonies I've stewarded over the last few years is completely gone.

They aren't a major food-source for any animals I know of, and this was way more than a die-back, since I recognize what that looks like. What's more, for every colony to have naturally vanished without a trace since the last time I visited was unthinkable. As such, I'm all but sure that someone "Wildcrafted" them to make tinctures for sale. This is absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating, as they have totally misused and abused this sacred plant, and damaged an extremely fragile and unique ecosystem in the process.

The main issue with harvesting Ghost Pipes isn't necessarily that it's rare, though it is in some areas. The real problems are how sensitive they are and how exacting their life cycle is. Sometimes, just touching a Ghost Pipe is enough to damage the plant, disrupt the re-seeding process, and prevent it from growing back. What's worse, the conditions required for the succesful development of these ethereal organisms are extremely specific. Monotropes are Mycoheterotrophs, which derive their energy through mychorizal parasitism. This is to say, they can only get their energy by siphoning it from a small range of subterranean fungi, who in turn, siphon their energy from the roots of certain trees. Between these and other factors, Monotropes are virtually impossible to cultivate or propagate, and they are especially susceptible to the effects of overharvesting. Unfortunately, unethical harvesting has steadily become a real problem in Western Herbalism, where Ghost Pipe tincture is growing in popularity for its mystique and its beautiful violet color. And while it does have a long history of traditional medicinal use as a Nervine, people who aren't getting it purely for its aesthetic qualities are buying it as a miracle cure, without any real understanding of how or why to use it.

I've been muddling through strong feelings of anger, sorrow, and impotence since this happened, and I feel sick thinking about someone out there irreverently peddling this precious medicine under a capitalist guise of "Herbal Wisdom." These sorts of business practices are thoughtless, ecologically unethical, and spiritually blasphemous (as far as I'm concerned). So, I beg you: please think thrice about what you are doing before you harvest a plant. Ask yourself these five questions, and weigh the answers against each other: "Why do I want to harvest this plant?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this organism?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this species?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this ecosystem?' and, 'What will I suffer as a result of not harvesting this plant?

I offer up my most fervent prayers that the seeds I helped to spread earlier in the year will count for something.

#ghost pipes #ghost pipe #monotropes #monotropa #monotropa uniflora #foraging #harvesting #harvest #herbalism #plant magic #plant medicine #nature magic #herbal medicine

[julianplum]

Starting two new paintings this week! I'm participating in a group show called Symbiosis, naturally themed around symbiotic relationships.

Top piece: Panellus stipticus (the jack-o-lantern mushroom) glows at night. While no one is quite sure why, the leading theory suggests that it attracts forest insects, who get an easy meal of mushroom and, in the process, gather up spores from the lantern's gills and spread them around.

Bottom piece: Monotropa uniflora (ghost pipes) are parasitic, heterotrophic plants—one of the very few examples of their type! Unable to produce their own nutrients, they tap into the mycorrhizal networks created by Russula and Lactarius species and siphon nutrients from the mushrooms and their tree partners (in this case, eastern white pine).

Really, really excited to start painting these! They will be gouache on this really nice hot press paper, and I'll keep y'all updated on the progress :)

#my art #wip #fungi #ghost pipes #on the easel #still in more or less sketch form #after this I'll layer in the color flats

[eatyourheartoutt]

#mushrooms #fungi #nature #ghost pipes #bleeding bonnets #can’t identify the red/pink one lmk if you know! #salamander

[jadeseadragon]

Julya Hajnoczky 📷 @obscuralucida

Ghost pipe flowers (Monotropa uniflora)

"They don’t photosynthesize, but rather get their nourishment by tapping into the mycorrhizal network..."

#julya hajnoczky #photography #ghost pipes #monotropa uniflora

[gfdelmar]

Oh how I love the woods after a good rain

#nature #hike #naturecore #adventurecore #gfdelmar og #plants #mosscore #mushroomcore #fungi #mushrooms #ghost pipes #jelly fungus #mossy log #moss

[geopsych]

Ghost pipes, Monotropa uniflora, and striped pipsissewa, Chimaphila maculata, blooming in the woods yesterday.

#striped pipsissewa #chimiphila maculata #ghost pipes #monotropa uniflora #woodland wildflowers #native wildflowers #july #wildflowers #pennsylvania

[glassroses2001]

ghost pipes

#personal #mine #me #ghost pipes

[cyvvien]

hello pls view mushroom stickers

I love these lil babies so much, they are on my shop!

#mushroom stickers #mushrooms #sticker #digital art #cyvvien scribbles #amanita #ghost pipes

[tragic-cottonball]

Also saw these. Always a neat find.

#hiking #pioneer indian trail #siuslaw national forest #ghost pipes

[breakbreadwithme]

life and death are haunting each other

#nature #fungi #nature photography #ghost pipes #feel free to ignore #forest #summer #native plants #photo #photography #original photography #the softness of rot

[plaguedgoddess]

Ghost Pipe/Ghost Plant

#ghost pipes #fungi #mushrooms #rare #nature #white fungi #flowering fungi #flowering mushroom #ghost #pipes #ghost plant #monotropa uniflora

[lailoken]

I came across an area rife with colonies of Ghost Pipe beginning to come up for the season, and while there, I found numerous patches of dried pods from last year's growth. Though their seeds were mostly spent, I collected stalks from multiple patches and proceeded to shake out any remaining seed powder they possessed in areas I know will support Monotropa growth. Thereafter, I put them aside for later devotional use.

If I'm lucky, maybe a tenth of what I sowed will take, but even that would be a lovely addition to their population.

#these look like the bouquet of a Victorian goth character #ghost pipes #monotropa #monotropa uniflora #plant worship #animism

[mushrooms-and-possibilities]

The ghost pipes are growing!

#mushrooms #ghost pipes #walking in the woods #growing #fungi #nature #my mountain home

[goodbyedreamland]

visited my gf’s office yesterday

#mine #fungi #nature #flora #Lily #ghost pipes #jack o lantern mushrooms #reishi

[gfdelmar]

Lost track of how many miles I did today but at least I didn’t get rained on so I call it a win!

#nature #hike #naturecore #gfdelmar og #adventurecore #mosscore #hiking #mushroomcore #slime mold #plants #mushrooms #fungi #ghost pipes #red raspberry slime mold #oyster mushrooms #foraging

[ellieofthewoods]

I saw these ghost pipes on the side of the trail when I went for a hike last week!

#ellie talks #ghost pipes #plants