"Mushroom Ninja" Explores the Beautiful World of Exotic Fungi on His Hikes

The world is full of natural treasures, which Ryan Grastorf found out firsthand only about a year and a half ago. “As an effort to reduce stress in life, I just started hiking more,” he told Instagram Blog. “I found a mushroom, a very cool looking mushroom, and the rest is kind of history.”

Now, the Baltimore-based full-time student, whose Instagram followers know him as the Mushroom Ninja, spends his free time capturing images of the wonderful world of fungi. From the cartoonish toadstool to alien-like forms of fungi, Grastorf has amassed an amazing portfolio of multi-colored, -shaped, and -sized mushrooms–some of which look nothing like what you'd imagine a fungal growth to look like. He estimates he's encountered and photographed roughly 150 different kinds of mushrooms; and with a growing base of over 22,000 followers, Grastorf has been able to rely on his Instagram community to help him identify most of them.

Check out a small, diverse sampling of Grastorf's growing collection of fungi photos below, but be sure to follow him on Instagram for even more mushroom madness.

Ryan “Mushroom Ninja” Grastorf: Instagram
via [Instagram Blog]

Pinar

Pinar Noorata is the Managing Editor at My Modern Met. She is a writer, editor, and content creator based in Brooklyn, NY. She earned her BA in Film and Media Studies from CUNY Hunter College and is an alumni of the Center for Arts Education’s Career Development Program in NYC. She has worked at major TV, film, and publishing companies as well as other independent media businesses. When she isn’t writing, editing, or creating videos herself, Pinar enjoys watching movies, reading, crafting, drawing, and volunteering at her local animal shelter.
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