Fungi Galore

All this rain, rain, rain has resulted in some amazing fungi eruptions.  I'll confess right now to not knowing much about identifying mushrooms.  What we see are just the fruiting bodies of fungus which is undergound.  The underground portion can be quite massive.  How massive, you ask?  According to an article in Scientific American the largest fungus is located in Oregon and is estimated to be 2,400 years old.  It covers 2,200 acres. Click this link for another interesting article about  huge fungi.

I hiked around and photographed as many different types of fungi as I could.  The variety of colors, shapes and sizes are amazing.  Don't forget fungi's important task: breaking down organic matter.   I used the book, Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America by Roger Phillips, to help identify some of the fungi I found. The book contains large, clear color photos.  Still, it was no easy task.  Please feel free to correct a label or add one.  Above all, please don't eat wild mushrooms unless you know what you are doing!  Enjoy the fungus photo shoot.

agaric

polypore - bracket fungus

agarics

russula

one of my favorites - coral fungus (Ramaria)

coral fungus

mycena

agaric

polypore - bracket fungus

puffball fungus

Another favorite - bird's nest fungus (Cyathus) - note the tiny dark "eggs" or basidiospores which are used in reproduction.  These were growing in a flower pot.

This fungus looked like a white brain growing from a rotted log.

Orange jelly fungus

Coral fungus (Ramaria)

a coral or tooth fungus (Ramaria)

another polypore - turkey tail

and another polypore ....

Another day at the pond

Going to the pond never gets old. Last week my nieces came to visit, providing the perfect excuse to head over for the umpteenth time this summer.

The fountain which had been off all summer, had now been turned on, spraying a showery rainbow across the surface of the pond.


How would this affect the creatures living in the pond? More critters seemed to shy away from the spray, prefering to keep close to the pond's edge. The whirligig beetles were spinning crazily just a couple of feet from shore and we noticed more frogs and salamanders crowded in the leaf litter and the duckweed.

There was also an abundance of interesting fungi growing on the mossy banks.




While I was busy taking photos, my son, daughter and two nieces were busy scooping muck from the rim of the pond, discovering spotted salamanders and frogs at all stages of development.

My 9-year-old niece managed to net a good-sized green frog with a bright yellow belly.

Here is one of many spotted salamanders they found, some still sporting gills.

This little frog had quite a bit of tail still left.

Below is a giant water bug nymph that was lurking on the pond bottom waiting for a tadpole lunch (or maybe a kid's finger). The best find, by far, was a den of Northern water snakes (Nerodia sipedon). I surprised an adult female basking on a sunny patch of moss and she quickly slid into the water. As I called the kids to watch her swimming just below the duckweed, they noticed little heads poking out and thin black bodies winding through the greenery. Babies!

Each child got a chance to catch a tiny snake. Northern water snakes bear live young from August through October, so these little ones were brand new. Everyone enjoyed showing off the snakes.

The babies looked so dark in our palms, but their reddish markings were clearer in the bright sunlight. We returned them to do their job keeping the pond population of leeches, tadpoles, and salamander larvae in check.

Another glorious day and a great way to end the summer. School starts tomorrow...