Most people consider mushrooms to be the small, ugly cousins of the plant kingdom, but theirs is a surprisingly beautiful and wonderful world waiting to be explored. When we posted some spectacular images of mushrooms last week HERE, the blog immediately went viral. These beautiful mushrooms, captured by enthusiastic nature photographers, are a far cry from the ones you find in the woods or your local grocery store.

Most mushrooms, as we know them, are actually just the reproductive structure of the fungus they belong to – their fungal networks expand far further underground, and some fungi don’t even sprout the sort of mushrooms that we’re used to seeing. In fact, depending on your definition of “organism,” the largest living organism in the world is a fungus – there’s a honey mushroom colony in Oregon that occupies about 2,000 acres of land!

Enjoy this amazing journey into the world of mushrooms and tell us which ones are your favorites in the comments section at the bottom of the post!

#1 Puffballs:

#2 Marasmius Haematocephalus:

#3 Mycena Chlorophos:

#4 Rhodotus Palmatus:

#5 Amethyst Deceiver:

#6 Panus Fasciatus:

#7 Phallus Indusiatus:

#8 Schizophyllum Commune:

#9 Clathrus Ruber:

#10 Porcelain Fungus:

#11 Cup Fungus:

#12 Lepiota:

#13 Cyathus Striatus:

#14 Mushrooms With A Snail:

#15 Coprinus Comatus:

#16 Leratiomyces:

#17 Hydnellum Peckii:

#18 Favolaschia Calocera:

#19 Aseroe Rubra:

#20 Geastrum Minimum:

#21 Morchella Esculenta:

#22 Puffball Mushroom:

#23 Crepidotus:

#24 Chorioactis:

#25 Tiny Golden Mushrooms:

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