🍄Ipsissimus🍁Mocata🍄
@mocata.bsky.social
A doomed forest hermit with too many cats. Original photos of NorCal natural history with an emphasis on mycology & native botany, but occasionally posting stuff about heavy music and weirdo cinema. ☭
https://linktr.ee/mocata
https://linktr.ee/mocata
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🍄Ipsissimus🍁Mocata🍄
@mocata.bsky.social
· Oct 14
“For every like, I’ll post one song I love” has been making the rounds, but I’m going to put a different spin on it that both alleviates my indecision and possibly/hopefully produces more interesting results. (Yes, I’m old and prefer my hard drive filled with decades of accumulated music to Spotify)
As of yesterday, I have officially reached the “Breaking Down” stage of the Snag Cycle. Yay for 40, I guess?
August 25, 2025 at 4:06 AM
As of yesterday, I have officially reached the “Breaking Down” stage of the Snag Cycle. Yay for 40, I guess?
Pollinator time out in the garden. I know it’s a rare thing for me to be posting something cultivated, but with a bloom like that, I couldn’t resist.
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August 22, 2025 at 2:49 AM
Pollinator time out in the garden. I know it’s a rare thing for me to be posting something cultivated, but with a bloom like that, I couldn’t resist.
🌱🪲📷📸
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Paeonia brownii. These native peonies have such striking flowers, yet they can be easy to miss while walking down a trail, as the flowers face downward, showing only hints of burgundy petals from the side. If you you flip them over like this, however, they are quite a sight to behold!
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August 15, 2025 at 12:34 AM
Paeonia brownii. These native peonies have such striking flowers, yet they can be easy to miss while walking down a trail, as the flowers face downward, showing only hints of burgundy petals from the side. If you you flip them over like this, however, they are quite a sight to behold!
🌱📷📸
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A fungal flashback from earlier in the year: Verpa conica, a not-quite-a-morel in Morchellaceae.
Quit giggling at the back of the class — it looks like a daikon radish wearing a cloche and *certainly* not like anything else.
🍄📷📸
Quit giggling at the back of the class — it looks like a daikon radish wearing a cloche and *certainly* not like anything else.
🍄📷📸
August 12, 2025 at 12:16 AM
A fungal flashback from earlier in the year: Verpa conica, a not-quite-a-morel in Morchellaceae.
Quit giggling at the back of the class — it looks like a daikon radish wearing a cloche and *certainly* not like anything else.
🍄📷📸
Quit giggling at the back of the class — it looks like a daikon radish wearing a cloche and *certainly* not like anything else.
🍄📷📸
Aphyllon franciscanum.
I’ve been wanting to see these golden weirdos for a while now and I lucked out and found multiple clusters in the same ultramafic hillside where I saw the Brodiaea sierrae, as they’ve also adapted to handle the harsh, nutrient-poor conditions of serpentine soil.
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I’ve been wanting to see these golden weirdos for a while now and I lucked out and found multiple clusters in the same ultramafic hillside where I saw the Brodiaea sierrae, as they’ve also adapted to handle the harsh, nutrient-poor conditions of serpentine soil.
🌱📷📸
August 10, 2025 at 11:42 PM
Aphyllon franciscanum.
I’ve been wanting to see these golden weirdos for a while now and I lucked out and found multiple clusters in the same ultramafic hillside where I saw the Brodiaea sierrae, as they’ve also adapted to handle the harsh, nutrient-poor conditions of serpentine soil.
🌱📷📸
I’ve been wanting to see these golden weirdos for a while now and I lucked out and found multiple clusters in the same ultramafic hillside where I saw the Brodiaea sierrae, as they’ve also adapted to handle the harsh, nutrient-poor conditions of serpentine soil.
🌱📷📸
Been enjoying the debut release by The New Eves quite a bit. A blend of post-punk and English folk revival that reminds me at times of ‘Furia’ by The Fates, the short-lived group started by Una Baines of The Fall.
Bonus points for the descending “Holiday in Cambodia”-inspired riff on this track:
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Bonus points for the descending “Holiday in Cambodia”-inspired riff on this track:
🎧
The New Eves - Highway Man
YouTube video by TheNewEvesVEVO
m.youtube.com
August 10, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Been enjoying the debut release by The New Eves quite a bit. A blend of post-punk and English folk revival that reminds me at times of ‘Furia’ by The Fates, the short-lived group started by Una Baines of The Fall.
Bonus points for the descending “Holiday in Cambodia”-inspired riff on this track:
🎧
Bonus points for the descending “Holiday in Cambodia”-inspired riff on this track:
🎧
Rhododendron occidentale. A ubiquitous shrub of Pacific forests, it may not have the giant blooms of its cultivated cousins, but it more than makes up for it by having one of the most divine scents you’ll ever encounter in the woods. You’ll smell it before you even see it yards down the trail!
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August 9, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Rhododendron occidentale. A ubiquitous shrub of Pacific forests, it may not have the giant blooms of its cultivated cousins, but it more than makes up for it by having one of the most divine scents you’ll ever encounter in the woods. You’ll smell it before you even see it yards down the trail!
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Happy International Cat Day from this ridiculous beast.
August 9, 2025 at 3:22 AM
Happy International Cat Day from this ridiculous beast.
Someone found a sunbeam.
📷📸😺
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August 7, 2025 at 1:54 AM
Someone found a sunbeam.
📷📸😺
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Okay, last pic of Brodiaea sierrae, I swear! This time, however, it’s my attempt to immortalize it through my rusty and questionable ink & watercolor skills. Remind me next time to not to wait until the last day to try to make something like this for a gift, especially when I’m so out of practice.
June 19, 2025 at 11:21 PM
Okay, last pic of Brodiaea sierrae, I swear! This time, however, it’s my attempt to immortalize it through my rusty and questionable ink & watercolor skills. Remind me next time to not to wait until the last day to try to make something like this for a gift, especially when I’m so out of practice.
Brodiaea sierrae again, but with a little something extra—a mystery gall on its stem. From what I’ve read, this is formed by an undescribed species (!) of midge in the genus Lasioptera that seems to have a preference for Brodiaeoideae.
📷📸🌱🪲
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June 16, 2025 at 2:38 AM
Brodiaea sierrae again, but with a little something extra—a mystery gall on its stem. From what I’ve read, this is formed by an undescribed species (!) of midge in the genus Lasioptera that seems to have a preference for Brodiaeoideae.
📷📸🌱🪲
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Brodiaea sierrae, a rare plant with limited distribution which occurs only in four counties in northern California and nowhere else in the world. Formerly considered B. californica, but it turns out that it’s not only a different species, but actually more closely related to B. leptandra.
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June 15, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Brodiaea sierrae, a rare plant with limited distribution which occurs only in four counties in northern California and nowhere else in the world. Formerly considered B. californica, but it turns out that it’s not only a different species, but actually more closely related to B. leptandra.
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Asarum hartwegii. What a fuzzy weirdo! (Yes, I know... “turn on your monitor”) Here in California, Aristolochiaceae only has a few species of Asarum and one equally weird Aristolochia, but there are hundreds more species in the tropics.
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June 10, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Asarum hartwegii. What a fuzzy weirdo! (Yes, I know... “turn on your monitor”) Here in California, Aristolochiaceae only has a few species of Asarum and one equally weird Aristolochia, but there are hundreds more species in the tropics.
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Diplacus angustatus, a CA endemic. Phrymaceae (if your field guide is old, you’ll find most of ’em in Scrophulariaceae as the genus Mimulus) is a family that never disappoints me, especially when it comes to the short ones with proportionally big flowers compared to their compact foliage.
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June 9, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Diplacus angustatus, a CA endemic. Phrymaceae (if your field guide is old, you’ll find most of ’em in Scrophulariaceae as the genus Mimulus) is a family that never disappoints me, especially when it comes to the short ones with proportionally big flowers compared to their compact foliage.
📷📸🌱
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Finally saw a Delphinium nudicaule! Larkspurs are abundant in my area, but all of the local species are purple/blue, so the thought of seeing a red one has always excited me. This species is out of my range, but I found it on a steep hillside during a day trip NW of me earlier this season.
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June 1, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Finally saw a Delphinium nudicaule! Larkspurs are abundant in my area, but all of the local species are purple/blue, so the thought of seeing a red one has always excited me. This species is out of my range, but I found it on a steep hillside during a day trip NW of me earlier this season.
📷📸🌱
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As much as I love his output, my all-time favorite Bowie track somehow isn’t a song that showcases his amazing creativity, but it’s instead one that was mostly Visconti & Ronson taking the helm to play hard stuff. So despite it being lyrically dumb as hell, I’m the one person who’s going with this:
May 26, 2025 at 4:44 PM
As much as I love his output, my all-time favorite Bowie track somehow isn’t a song that showcases his amazing creativity, but it’s instead one that was mostly Visconti & Ronson taking the helm to play hard stuff. So despite it being lyrically dumb as hell, I’m the one person who’s going with this:
RIP, Simon House.
First heard this at age 17 or so while reading online about the history of metal & it blew my mind how it was released before the first Black Sabbath album. Little did I know it, but it was the seed of an obsession w/ heavy ’60s–’70s obscurities that hasn’t left me decades later.
First heard this at age 17 or so while reading online about the history of metal & it blew my mind how it was released before the first Black Sabbath album. Little did I know it, but it was the seed of an obsession w/ heavy ’60s–’70s obscurities that hasn’t left me decades later.
Futilist's Lament (2023 Remaster)
YouTube video by High Tide - Topic
m.youtube.com
May 26, 2025 at 1:11 AM
RIP, Simon House.
First heard this at age 17 or so while reading online about the history of metal & it blew my mind how it was released before the first Black Sabbath album. Little did I know it, but it was the seed of an obsession w/ heavy ’60s–’70s obscurities that hasn’t left me decades later.
First heard this at age 17 or so while reading online about the history of metal & it blew my mind how it was released before the first Black Sabbath album. Little did I know it, but it was the seed of an obsession w/ heavy ’60s–’70s obscurities that hasn’t left me decades later.
Cicadidae sp., cf. Platypedia putnami.
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May 23, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Cicadidae sp., cf. Platypedia putnami.
📷📸🟢🪲
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Even before it blooms, Calochortus albus still manages to be thoroughly elegant in form.
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May 22, 2025 at 8:25 PM
Even before it blooms, Calochortus albus still manages to be thoroughly elegant in form.
📷📸🌱
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For your World Goth Day listening pleasure: a strong contender for my favorite song to come out of that scene last year. Sounding somewhat like a punkier version of Xmal Deutschland, these Australians are worthy of more attention, as I’ve seen surprisingly little mention of them online.
Silhouette, by Dionysus
from the album Theatre of Dionysus
dionysuseora.bandcamp.com
May 22, 2025 at 7:36 PM
For your World Goth Day listening pleasure: a strong contender for my favorite song to come out of that scene last year. Sounding somewhat like a punkier version of Xmal Deutschland, these Australians are worthy of more attention, as I’ve seen surprisingly little mention of them online.
One of the oddest and least poppy-ilke members of Papaveraceae, Dicentra formosa never disappoints. They’ve faded out at lower elevations now, but still look great in shady spots above 4000ft or so.
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May 19, 2025 at 7:27 PM
One of the oddest and least poppy-ilke members of Papaveraceae, Dicentra formosa never disappoints. They’ve faded out at lower elevations now, but still look great in shady spots above 4000ft or so.
📷📸🌱
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As much as I love all the more creative and cinematic music videos out there, I think the “chroma-keyed Beat Club performance, c. 1970” look will always be my favorite. Many have imitated it since, but Ölüm have just nailed it. FULLY committed to the bit. Pretty great Anatolian rock revival, too.
ÖLÜM - Şu Dünyaya Gözlerimi Açtım Açalı
YouTube video by ÖLÜM
m.youtube.com
May 18, 2025 at 7:39 PM
As much as I love all the more creative and cinematic music videos out there, I think the “chroma-keyed Beat Club performance, c. 1970” look will always be my favorite. Many have imitated it since, but Ölüm have just nailed it. FULLY committed to the bit. Pretty great Anatolian rock revival, too.
Quercus kelloggii is widely known for its beautiful golden-brown hues in the autumn, but I feel like the incredibly vibrant magenta protective pigmentation of the margins of the new leaves in spring (and that downy texture!) is underappreciated.
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May 18, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Quercus kelloggii is widely known for its beautiful golden-brown hues in the autumn, but I feel like the incredibly vibrant magenta protective pigmentation of the margins of the new leaves in spring (and that downy texture!) is underappreciated.
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📽️ “10 French films to get to know me” (or by which to know to avoid me?)
Le frisson des vampires
À l’ombre de la canaille bleue
La papesse
Le sang d’un poète
Je, tu, elles…
Week-end
Litan: La cité des spectres verts
Le seuil du vide
L’éden et après
Ogroff
(I was so tempted to just go all-Rollin)
Le frisson des vampires
À l’ombre de la canaille bleue
La papesse
Le sang d’un poète
Je, tu, elles…
Week-end
Litan: La cité des spectres verts
Le seuil du vide
L’éden et après
Ogroff
(I was so tempted to just go all-Rollin)
10 French films to get to know me
Céline and Julie Go Boating
The Green Ray
The Grapes of Death
Cléo from 5 to 7
35 Shots of Rum
Night of Death!
Simone Barbes or Virtue
Duelle
Beauty and the Beast (1946)
India Song
Céline and Julie Go Boating
The Green Ray
The Grapes of Death
Cléo from 5 to 7
35 Shots of Rum
Night of Death!
Simone Barbes or Virtue
Duelle
Beauty and the Beast (1946)
India Song
10 French Films to get to know me
West Indies
Rififi
Le Trou
Beau Travail
Holy Motors
Le Cercle Rouge
La Commune (Paris, 1871)
Le Pont Du Nord
C'était un Rendez-vous
The Wages of Fear
West Indies
Rififi
Le Trou
Beau Travail
Holy Motors
Le Cercle Rouge
La Commune (Paris, 1871)
Le Pont Du Nord
C'était un Rendez-vous
The Wages of Fear
May 15, 2025 at 9:36 PM
📽️ “10 French films to get to know me” (or by which to know to avoid me?)
Le frisson des vampires
À l’ombre de la canaille bleue
La papesse
Le sang d’un poète
Je, tu, elles…
Week-end
Litan: La cité des spectres verts
Le seuil du vide
L’éden et après
Ogroff
(I was so tempted to just go all-Rollin)
Le frisson des vampires
À l’ombre de la canaille bleue
La papesse
Le sang d’un poète
Je, tu, elles…
Week-end
Litan: La cité des spectres verts
Le seuil du vide
L’éden et après
Ogroff
(I was so tempted to just go all-Rollin)
Triteleia bridgesii. Easily mistaken for T. laxa from a distance, but T. bridgesii’s anthers are always attached at the same level and T. laxa is typically a more uniform purple without a lighter region at the center of the corolla.
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May 15, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Triteleia bridgesii. Easily mistaken for T. laxa from a distance, but T. bridgesii’s anthers are always attached at the same level and T. laxa is typically a more uniform purple without a lighter region at the center of the corolla.
📷📸🌱
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