Being Arthur

Here for a moment — delicate mushrooms, easily missed, quietly beautiful.

I was working in the garden, fixing a cut in the reticulation, when I noticed something unexpected at my feet — these tiny, beautiful mushrooms quietly growing in the mulch.

I believe they are pleated inkcaps. They have delicate, finely pleated caps, almost translucent, and seem to appear only after moisture. Small and perfectly formed, they feel more like something sketched than grown.

What struck me most is how brief their presence is. Pleated inkcaps often appear overnight and vanish within a day, as if they were never there at all. A fleeting moment in the garden, easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.

They’re not edible — but that’s beside the point. Their value isn’t in what they offer us, but in the reminder they bring. Even while focused on practical tasks — fixing pipes, managing systems — the garden still finds ways to surprise, pause us, and quietly reward attention.

A small, temporary gift. Gone almost as quickly as it arrived.