Mushrooms of September

Here are some of the mushrooms I have spied over the last few days. 

After an exceedingly hot and dry summer, it has cooled a bit and has even rained some.

For the first time in ages, I'm linking with Lisa'a Chaos for Macro Monday.

-Susan

I'm still alive!

I know it has been a while since I posted. I have no idea what I have been doing to prevent me from blogging. Apparently, I have been out of the habit. No matter. Here I am and with new pictures, too. 

Okay, I admit it, this is the same old subject matter- mushrooms.

Oyster mushrooms, specifically. They have been so abundant lately that I can't look out a window or 

walk to the car without seeing some.

I think the babies are particularly photogenic.

These were absolutely teeny-tiny.

I really like the ones that grow on the bottom of logs, too.

Do you know what I don't like about oyster mushrooms? 

The taste. 

I really, really want to like them, but I don't.

Maybe I am just cooking them wrong. I'll try them again soon, but as beautiful and easy to identify and abundant as they are, I SHOULD love them, but I don't.

Does anyone have any cooking tips for oyster mushrooms?

As I have said before, don't eat any mushroom you are even slightly unsure of. 

Safety first, people.

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving (or good Thursday for those outside the U.S.).

-Susan

Oyster Mushrooms

Lately, the weather has been really dry. We had one day of rain in the last couple of weeks, but it's still mighty dry. So there have been very few mushrooms to find when I have made my trips into the woods.

But there have been oysters. Lots of oysters.

 Pleurotus ostreatus is the Latin name for these lovely mushrooms.

They are all over this poplar log.

The "babies" are simply adorable.

To me, at least.

After noticing all the mushrooms springing forth from this log, I brought a jug of water for them. 

The creek the log is over is completely dry.

Oysters are supposed to be really tasty mushrooms, but after Hen-of-the-Woods, I wasn't impressed.

I'll try them again another time.

I know this is an obvious warning, but 

DO NOT EAT ANY WILD MUSHROOM THAT YOU ARE NOT 100% SURE WHAT IT IS!

Stop by Lisa's Chaos to see what other macros this Monday brings. 

As always, click on any photos for an enlargement.

-Susan

Glimpse into the World of Fairies

Okay, I didn't actually see any fairies, but I'm pretty sure they had been there.

Enjoy your weekend!

-Susan

Grifola frondosa

Lately, I have been keeping a close watch on some lovely oyster mushrooms next to my driveway. I have even been watering them. This morning, I wandered outside, coffee in hand, to see how the oysters were coming along.

And then I spied it.

A small, fresh Hen of the Woods mushroom!

Can you see it?

These lovely mushrooms are also known as Maitake or Sheep's Head or (my favorite) 

the Dancing Mushroom.

But the Latin name is Grifola frondosa.

Can you see it now?

I just about fell off the log on which I was standing!

I've bought Hens at an Asian grocery in a nearby city and even at a large Whole Foods-type grocery.

They are DE-lish-us! And expensive. Like $30 per pound expensive.

But today, I found a 31 ounce Hen BY MY DRIVEWAY.

I'm still kind of in shock.

The best part is that they are perennial. So it will probably show up by this particular oak next year and the year after and so on.

Oh, and the other best part is that Dancing Mushrooms are used medicinally as well.

According to AmericanMushrooms.com,
Grifola frondosa is,

"One of the most medicinally active of all common wild mushrooms, Maitake has well-demonstrated immuno-boosting and anti-microbial (anti-bacterial and anti-viral) properties, as well as anti-tumor activity against breast, colorectal, liver, lung and prostate cancers, and leukemia. As if that weren't enough, it also shows considerable potential as an antihypertensive, as a blood-sugar moderator, and as a cholesterol reducer. Additionally, it is reputed as being beneficial for the lungs and respiratory system, as a stress reducer, and even as an anti-Candidiasis (yeast infection) agent."

Other sites mention its use against HIV. 

How cool is that?

Thankfully, I'm not currently dealing with serious health issues, but my common cold seems virtually gone now. I don't know if it is the anti-viral properties of the mushroom or 

that I am still absolutely giddy about finding it!

Either way, I now know why they call it the Dancing Mushroom.

I could dance all day after finding it!

Hope you all are having as wonderful weekend as I am!

-Susan

Critter of the Day

Today's Critter of the Day is an immature male Magnolia Warbler.

This adorable little guy collided with my living room window earlier this week.

At first, I didn't know what he was- except that he was a warbler. He definitely has an insect-eating beak.

They don't call them confusing fall warblers for nothing. My mom, expert birder that she is, thought he was a Magnolia Warbler despite him not looking quite like the book.

After a bit of searching online, I found a photo of a first year male.

It looked just like him!

Aren't the feathers on his back pretty?

After a few minutes resting in a cardboard box, he became restless. He flew almost as soon as I opened the box, but wasn't quite ready to fly into the woods. He posed for a few moments while he regained his bearings. I'm glad he did. I only wish the sun hadn't be so close to setting.

The light sure could have been better.

You can tell he is feeling better now.

This was my last glimpse before he flew away.

As always, you can click on any of the photos for a closer look.

Don't forget to
stop by

blogging from bolivia
to link up your own Macro Friday post!

-Susan

                                                                  

Macro Monday

Thanksgiving week is upon us. That's both wonderful and slightly stressful. I have approximately 1.3 million things to get done before Thursday.
I love cooking and baking, but the tasks are a bit overwhelming.
Perhaps an extra cup of coffee is in order today.
I do hope to get a chance to post again later in the week, but I make no guarantees.

These photos were taken the other day when it was so warm. But when I looked at them, my first thought was Christmas. These are the berries from my dogwood tree in my front yard.

These are linked up with Macro Monday over at Lisa's Chaos.

Macro Friday

It's been a busy week in Shakerag. I had the opportunity to go visit with my sister and the new baby. While I love cuddling and kissing my niece, I'm less enthusiastic about the three hour drive one way. But we're back now and I get to see my sister and her family again next week for Thanksgiving! Yay! And they are coming here! Double yay!

It seems the autumn rains are finally here, after an exceptionally dry summer and early fall. Tuesday was a rainy day. As I was was standing at the kitchen sink watching the rain, I noticed a flock of turkeys crossing my driveway. As anyone who knows me expects, I grabbed my camera and raincoat and off I went. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, the turkey pictures were all blurry, too far away, and generally terrible. But, I did take some pictures while wandering back to the house.

I need to learn more about taking pictures in low light. Any tips are appreciated. After reading that cloudy days are best for photographing wildflowers since the clouds act as a natural light diffuser, I think I had higher hopes for all my shots that day. Only three came out well enough to even bother trying to edit. I do like these, but I took a lot more pictures than this!

Above is my entry for Macro Friday.

What could be more exciting than a knot hole on a moss covered log?


Yes, I had to include more leaves.
I loved how large these leaves were and how small the tree was.

As always, click on any of my photos for a closer look.

Visit blogging from bolivia to link up your own Macro Friday post!
Have a great weekend!

-Susan

Macro Monday

Here are a couple of shots for Macro Monday over at Lisa's Chaos.

This is what remains from a Tulip Poplar blossom.
This particular tree is probably fifty feet tall.
Fortunately, it has some low branches.

I have seen several caterpillars in the past week.
This has been a really warm, dry autumn.

Hope you all have a great week!
-Susan

Macro Friday

I haven't gotten to take as many pictures this week as I would have liked. The weather has been simply wonderful, but there have been too many must-do projects to get outside. Here is my entry for Macro Friday:


I've never seen so many beautiful oak leaves before! Some are still green, some are all red, some are red with green. I think the multi-colored ones are my favorites. The little leaf above was only three and a half inches long. I brought it inside for my daughter. Yes, I really did measure it.

More oak leaves:


Here's a little Tufted Titmouse. I had hoped to get a little color, but the light was all wrong. I take my opportunities to get outside and take photographs, when they present themselves, even if it's not the best time of day for such things.

Visit blogging from bolivia to link up your own Macro Friday post!
Have a great weekend!

-Susan