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 here!

I took this shot the other day from across a table poolside. I love dragonflies and this pool always has them in abundance!

Hope you're having a great summer!

-Susan

More Mushroomy Macros

It has been quite dry of late and, unfortunately, that means not many mushrooms about. I do understand that not all of my readers are fungi-philes, but I am. Ticks are the other problem I have had lately. It is impossible to go out into the woods without bringing in passengers. But we had some rain yesterday, and the days are shorter so the ticks are less of a problem. I'm looking forward to a wonderful autumn!

This particular mushroom I photographed a while ago at Land Between the Lakes.

It was growing right in the road.

At first I thought it was a rusty piece of metal.

Then I thought it was a puffball.

It is neither.

I strongly suspect it is a Pisolithus tinctorius, also known as

the dyemaker's puffball.

It is not a true puffball, merely a mushroom with a thin outer "skin" that disintegrates upon maturity.

When immature it can be used to dye wool.

Once I got home and looked it up I wished I had taken more pictures of it or even collected it.

Maybe I'll find one again sometime.

Have a super weekend!

Don't forget to
stop by

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

-Susan

I've done it!

I have finally done it!

I have finally 100% positively identified a mushroom!

My mother came over to my house carrying a bunch of mushrooms she found growing on freshly mowed grass owned by the city. She collected them all!

What a good mother I have!

As soon as I saw them, I knew I had seen them in a book recently.

I also strongly suspected that they were poisonous.

I was right.

So, without any further delay, let me introduce you to Chlorophyllum molybdites

or as it is more commonly known, Green-Spored Lepiota.

It is also the mushroom in America that is responsible for more poisonings

than any other.

Symptoms include severe intestinal discomfort, vomiting, and diarrhea

with fairly rapid onset.

Pretty to look at, but not to eat!

The cap is from 3 to 10 inches across, which is impressively large to me.

The young ones look like golf balls on a stick.

The Green-Spored Lepiota is a large mushroom frequently found in grassy areas in late summer.

The spores are a dingy olive green which on these older mushrooms was easy to

see even without doing a spore print.

You may even have some in you yard right now. Sometimes they even grow in fairy rings.

Hope you enjoy looking!

-Susan

Macro Friday at LBL

Yesterday was a beautiful day. And, and this is the significant part, it wasn't miserably hot! It was a very welcome change.

The kids, Nana, and I took a little trip to Land Between the Lakes. We went to our favorite lake access and had a picnic. We even splashed in the water a bit and participated in the most fantastic toddler activity- throwing rocks into the water. That alone would have been worth the trip, but we also ventured to the Nature Station which is another favorite spot.

There were butterflies everywhere.
This male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail was practically posing for me.

The Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were more abundant than I have ever seen.
They were EVERYWHERE! Do I have wonderful pictures? Sadly, no. But it was still a thrill to see.


The local Red-bellied Woodpeckers were even drinking from the hummingbird feeders. I had never seen that before.

Back in Shakerag, the squirrels and raccoons drink from the hummer feeders.

The biggest thrill of the day however, came as we were heading home. About a half mile from the Nature Station, in our lane of the road, we came upon a Rattlesnake! I'm unsure of the specific species, but my best guess is a Timber Rattlesnake.

So, those of you who are not fans of snakes,
go no further!















He (or she) was just sitting in the road, presumably sunning.
At first, I thought someone had run over him, he was so still.

My goal was to get him off the road and get a few photos.
He was really reluctant to leave the road.

He was on a curve on a hill, so I considered him to be in a fair amount of danger of being hit by a car.

So, I did what any normal, typical housewife would do,
I poured water on him to get him to move.


Well, this did make him move alright, into a striking pose with his tail rattling.


Yes, the rattling sound is just like in the movies.
That was the point when I backed away. Being almost bitten by a snapping turtle is one thing; being bitten by a rattler miles and miles from medical assistance is something quite different.


I love how this subtantial snake just disappears into nothing in just a bit of weeds.
He was about three feet long.

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

I've been absent a bit lately.
Our whole family has been travelling abroad for the last two weeks.

NOT!
Actually, I have hardly left Shakerag. And what's more, I have hardly left the house! It's just been too hot and humid to do anything.
So, no blogging, no photo-taking, no nuthin'.

Yesterday, I braved the heat, humidity, and ticks to take a walk in the woods.

A very small toad crossed my path. He was about half an inch long.



Yes, I irritated him.


He really didn't seem that bothered by the flash. I didn't like the way it turned out with the flash,
but the light was low enough almost all my flash-less shots were blurry.
It was my looking at him that he seemed to object to most.

Mushrooms, on the other hand, don't mind me bothering them at all.
These were even smaller than the toad.

It was humid enough that my glasses fogged up on me several times. I came in covered in sweat and teeny ticks.
But it really was nice to get out into the woods again.
It was especially nice after a shower.

Happy Monday!

I'm linking to Macro Monday at Lisa's Chaos.
Stop by and see what macros you can see today!
-Susan

Macro Friday

I really will get back to critter photos soon. But lately, I've been a bit fungus-obsessed. Unlike most of my obsessions, mushrooms don't move. And they are around virtually anytime I look. And they are nearly infinitely variable. And often bright colors.

Soon I hope to be able to identify some of these mushrooms, too.
I have a book on the way.

So, without further preamble, here are today's msuhroom macros.

This is the bottom of the bright orange shelf-type one from the other day.



I think these look like shells.

I love the scalloped edge.




This one must be good to eat, at least if you're a slug or bug.



These look like flowers to me.

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

Mushroomy Macro Monday

Well, it would seem I have been on a bit of a vacation the last week. In truth, I've just been insanely busy and a bit uninspired. But, I'm back and enthusiastic! Part of my enthusiasm comes from discovering simply the coolest mushroom blog ever! If you like the stuff I photograph, but with a fungal-emphasis, then you will love Mycologista! I wish I knew how I found it, but the important thing is I did.

So here are just a few of the mushrooms I found yesterday on my walk in Shakerag Woods.

The above mushrooms seemed to be on every fallen log.

I liked the light coming through this one.




It was a good day for orangey-yellow mushrooms.





Below is the underside of the same mushroom.

The following were inside a hollow log.


My mom thinks it looks like meringue that is browning. It sort of does.

More merunigue?



Above and below are the same mushroom.



I haven't identified any of these mushrooms partly because I haven't really had the time to try yet and partly because it can be really hard.

I'm linking to Macro Monday at Lisa's Chaos.
Stop by and see what macros you can see today!
-Susan

Flowers on Saturday

Yesterday, we got to go back to one of our favorite places-
Land Between the Lakes.
Anyone who has been reading this blog long knows we go any chance we get. Much like a day spent in Shakerag, a day in LBL will certainly lead to adventure.

While not actually LBL, a trip to the area always includes a visit to Barkley Dam. Yesterday, we saw a dozen or so Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons a plenty, and several Double-Crested Comorants flying about.

As we were leaving, we saw a White-Tailed Doe with her frolicking twins. I see deer nearly everyday in Shakerag, but I can't think when I've seen deer playing.

Not twenty yards beyond the deer, we saw a pair of Northern Bobwhites crossing the road. Seeing and hearing Bobwhites used to be quite common, but not anymore.

We went to our favorite lake access and had a picknick, then played in the water, and went to the Nature Station.

There we saw the usual assortment of amazing animals, most of which we never get to see up close in the wild, and some, like the pair of Red Wolves, that we'd never get to see at all otherwise.

But for all this adventure, nearly the only photos that turned out well were the ones of the Wild Bergamot. You see, unlike the abundant Ruby-throated Hummingbirds or my children, the flowers didn't move around much at all. Keeping track of two kiddos even with the assistance of my mother, is quite a job these days. Maybe soon we can go back again to LBL and between my mother and Hubby, I can actually take a few pictures!




Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) is a native wildflower. It's a member of the mint family, and the leaves smell lovely when crushed, but not minty. Bergamot comes in many varieties including a cultivated type with red flowers. No matter the color of the flowers, hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies love bergamot. Another name for it is Bee Balm. Grandma used to call it shaving brush plant.

Don't forget to stop by Blueberry Craft and Hobby Time by clicking on the logo at the top of this post to see what other flowers this Saturday brings.

-Susan