Honorable Mention: Rootless Pea-stone

This image displays a bisection of the fruiting body of the fungus Pisolithus arrhizus, better known as the American Dyeball. I have been studying the way fungi may be utilized in the arts to create environmentally-friendly processes, or replace some of the materials we currently use. This fungus in particular can be boiled, which releases its pigments to create an organic dye that may be used on fabric, paper, and other absorptive materials. The color may be changed by using different binders (mordants) on the materials or by altering the pH of the dye solution.