Category: Fungi

I didn’t hear it

On By CarynIn Flora, Fungi

We had a large tree fall in the back woods sometime during the last storms. We didn’t hear it fall, but it must have made a great tearing sound as it cracked and then dragged down a considerable amount of vegetative canopy.

Photo description: tree broken leaving about a 5 foot stump

This was a favorite hiding spot for the outside cats, and once the tree was down I could see why: there was a lovely little cavern in the trunk.

Photo description: cat hiding hole in the fallen part of the tree

The hollow trunk led all the way to the top of the tree, giving an escape route to any critter resting there.

The top branches fell across one of my paths, so I’ll gave to trim that back, but I’ll wait until fall when it is cooler and the chiggers aren’t active. Other than freeing my path, I’ll leave the rest to nature, which is the beauty of the back woods.

Speaking of, this is the remains of the woodpile that the builders left some 10 years ago when they cleared land for the house.

Photo description: old wood pile

Last Thursday I posted a picture of the pile from 8 years ago when it was well above cat height. There is not much left to hide in now.

The trees have ears

On By CarynIn Fungi
Photo description: wood ear mushrooms on a log pile

Here is another potentially edible mushroom in our yard: wood ear mushrooms. I did look it up, and one enthusiastic blogger described eating one as “crisp, followed by slither and slurp”. Um. No. I’ll file these with oysters and cilantro on my “thanks, but no thanks” list.

They are quite wiggly after the rain, and I quite like the soft brown coloration, but they can happily stay and do their decomposition job without fear of me gathering them up.

Puffball

On By CarynIn Fungi

I found a puffball mushroom in our yard. I have read that they are edible, after I threw one over the fence after finding it last year.

Photo description: puffball mushroom in leaf litter

I broke this one open and the inside is soft and spongy, rather like pound cake, but it smelled of dirt. I hope a critter on the other side of the fence enjoys the snack.

Puffball?

On By CarynIn Fungi

We had this large mushroom pop up inside our fence. Rather than risk the dogs getting sick, I took my picture and threw it out into the back woods. It was quite heavy for a mushroom. I showed the picture to my eldest, who responded: “Aren’t those edible?” Hm. I looked it up and puffball mushrooms can be edible, but don’t mix them up with earthball mushrooms, which are not edible. One of the ways to tell is to cut it open. Did I do that before I threw it into the woods? Nope, of course not.

Photo description: palm sized round mushroom with a rough white surface.

We’ve had a nice wet Spring. I think I’ll take a knife with me when I go back out into the woods.

Wood walk

On By CarynIn Cats, Flora, Fungi

I took some green time and walked through the woods. I can still see the results of the heavy rain we had, the path I cleared years ago had been swept clean by the water, making a path about two feet wide through the leaves.

Photo description: Dirt path through saplings and vines with a scattering of newly fallen leaves.

I saw some nice mushrooms too, another sign we’ve actually received significant moisture.

Photo description: bright white hairy puffball mushroom in brown and yellow fallen leaves.
Photo description: white and cream capped mushrooms in green meadow grass.

I have what I believe is a mulberry tree in the back woods. It is growing under the canopy, so is spindly but keeps making a go of it each year. I was sad to see that something, probably deer, have stripped the bark on one side of the tree.

Photo description: Bark stripped from half of a maybe two inch trunk, two green leaves visible from the same tree.

And of course there were cats. I was able to get a picture of Mr Tom in his glorious winter coat before he wandered off.

Photo description: Flame point long haired cat with full winter ruff sitting in meadow grass.