this could very well be Arbutus unedo for all I know. The ID was suggested by a friend when my not-so-complete “Complete Trees of North America” failed to list more than three madrone spp., two of which didn’t occur anywhere near CA.

It would appear that there are variations of A. unedo as well as a handful of hybrids. Don’t know if this photo is enough to go on to say exactly which it is.

is this different from A. unedo?

to the mushroom photography devil, it’s really a cinch. Do one of those “I Dream of Jeanie” macarena elbow slap head nods, then comes the burning retinal pain and visions of hellfire, then presto, one perfect mushroom photograph appears on the desktop. each one takes about a day and a half off my ticker, but really, who has time to worry about such minor details…

cool photos myxomop! How long did it take you to get a perfect shot like that?