Nature Photo Challenge: Autumn colors, part 2: “shrooms!”

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One of my favorite things to spot during autumn outings are mushrooms, the fruiting above-ground bodies of fungi. The most abundant ones in our area appear to be white and ivory in color and it’s not unusual to find small “colonies” of them growing in fields and woods.

 

Admittedly, I don’t know much about fungi except that they play a very important role in the natural environment. Suzanne Simard’s book, Finding the Mother Tree, was an eye-opener for me regarding how trees communicate and thrive through use of underground fungal networks. I’m now looking forward to reading Martin Sheldrake’s book, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures.

And I want to read more of the scientific writing that is challenging ideas about cooperative fungal and tree networks and cautioning us to await further studies that can show how fungi and plants may both collaborate and compete.

 

In the meantime, I just enjoy looking for ‘shrooms during my nature walks. Some of the white ones have interesting shapes that remind me of corals. Others have veins of bluish color.

   

Some of the more beige/brown fungal fruits have shapes similar to the common white mushrooms. Sheldrake has pointed out how important it is that we learn more about all of them: “They are neglected in conservation frameworks, educational curriculums, and scientific and medical research. Part of the challenge is raising awareness of fungal life and the many vital roles they play in the biosphere, of course.”

   

Did you know, for example, that mycorrhizal fungi absorb “the equivalent of more than a third (36%) of the world’s annual carbon emissions from fossil fuels – every year?”

 

 

Some of my nature-oriented conservation colleagues know something about mushrooms because they enjoy collecting them for consumption. You do need to know a good deal about them, however, to do this safely as some mushrooms are poisonous. One easily recognizable one is the fly agaric mushroom with its pretty red cap dotted with white spots.

Although I went on a mushroom walk once where a knowledgeable leader encouraged us to collect specimens which he then identified at the end of the collection period, I admittedly am not so interested in learning which wild ones are edible. The cultivated mushrooms sold in stores satisfy my culinary tastes.

 

Spotting interesting clusters and shapes during outings is fun, however, and has led to interesting conversations with fellow walkers and photographers.

 

 

The color variations also attract me.

I always find the clusters of ‘shrooms with multi-colored lines appealing.

 

It’s also interesting to know that mushrooms can be used to create vivid dyes to color natural fibers such as wool.

 

Three of my fungal finds that were favorites this autumn are shown below. Their vivid colors really caught my eye from far away and they were quite large.

I’ll leave you with a find that has puzzled me as I have no idea what it is. Several green plants were covered with these fine white filaments. I don’t know if they were produced by fungi or some type of insect; my Internet searches have not produced an answer yet. If any of you readers know what this is, please enlighten me!  And have a nice day!

Nature Photo Challenge – Autumn Colors, part 1: trees and lakeshores

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A bit late to fellow blogger Denzil’s latest challenge, I still wanted to post some photos of the beautiful autumn colors we are seeing in the Southeast USA. I ended up saving many photos for this, so this will be a 3-part blog: colorful trees, fungi and some autumn creatures and blooms.

 

Several trees and shrubs I’ve planted in my yard are quite colorful in autumn to my delight.

   

The birds (like the pine warbler above) look lovely in the maples.

The serviceberries have different hues in their ready-to-fall leaves. The largest one is a favorite spot for birds to perch while deciding whether to visit the feeders or not. (One of the tufted titmice who enjoy the feeders also takes time to preen in this tree.)

   

They also just like to stop there to rest, like this downy woodpecker.

   

The kousa dogwood is a loner (so far) and not producing berries but it is a favorite perching tree for birds.

 

A couple more colorful shrubs and trees in my yard.

   

On walks in various parks and nature reserves, the berries on trees and vines have become quite noticeable and the birds are really enjoying them.

 

When they finish with the red and black berries, they will be going for the white ones provided by poison ivy – a real favorite of theirs. Below a Northern mockingbird.

 

The color patterns on fallen leaves catch your eye when you look down while walking.

   

And the plumed plants waving in the wind get your attention, too.

Some falling leaves end up adorning spider webs.

 

The yellow-colored shrubs are also eye-catching.

I’ll leave you for now with some views of trees presenting gorgeous vistas along lakes and ponds.(Next instalment: colorful fungi!)

 

Nature photo challenge — An orange moon

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Fellow blogger Denzil’s latest “challenge” for his followers is to post a photo of the moon. I chose a photo of the super moon on 1 August 2023 as it was very beautiful.

In two days, I’ll take another moon photo if there are no clouds obscuring it since it will be 2023’s last harvest super moon! Night photography is not really “my thing,” but this will be fun. And perhaps I’ll see bats flying over my house as I did on 1 August. 🙂

Nature Photo Challenge – Wild Animals

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While I edit photos for my next “regular” blog, I was inspired by Denzil’s 28th Nature Photo Challenge to post a few photos of wild animals I’ve encountered. While I could have chosen to show some of the more exotic ones (e.g., rhinos, elephants, lions, etc.), I thought I’d introduce you to some species that live in my general area.

Among the insects that I enjoy watching are the snowberry clearwing moths (Hemaris diffinis). The first time I saw a clearwing moth at some distance, I wondered if there was a tiny hummingbird with which I was totally unfamiliar. When I got closer, I realized it was no hummer but some amazing kind of flying insect. I still find them fascinating creatures.

The saddleback moth caterpillar (Acharia stimulea) is another favorite from the insect world. Fortunately, I found out that they have a painful sting before I ever touched one. This past week, I was lucky to see one twice. The first time was when John, an odonate expert of my acquaintance, called me over to see one he had found. He had unfortunately been stung but said the pain was tolerable: I hope he didn’t suffer for long. Several days later, I spotted another saddleback while on another nature walk.

 The bright golden color of a common sawfly caught my eye after having seen the first saddleback. It was quite a striking fly with its black and white “decorative” highlights.

Shortly afterwards, my day was made when I spotted one of my favorite spiders, an adorable jumping spider that had caught itself a sizeable meal.

A couple days ago I startled an Eastern rat snake (Pantherophis alleghaniensis) as I passed by it on a path. I hadn’t realized it was there until the herp reared up and quickly crossed the path in front of me. I think we were both startled and I didn’t manage to get a photo. Today I did a U-turn to hop out of my car to carry an Eastern box turtle  (Terrapene carolina Carolina) to safety as it began crossing a busy road. One woman stopped to thank me, while another driver gave me a somewhat irritated look. The turtle above was not the rescue but had similar colors to the turtle today.

My pond is quite alive with lots of tadpoles and small frogs. This green frog (Lithobates clamitans) is one of the larger aquatic yard denizens.

I haven’t seen a wide variety of mammals lately except for the ubiquitous Eastern chipmunks, gray squirrels, Eastern cottontail rabbits and Eastern white-tailed deer in my yard. It’s always a treat for me to see some of the aquatic ones when out on walks, such as the river otters (Lontra canadensis) and the North American beaver (Castor canadensis).

I’ve seen the hispid cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus) in three different North Carolina nature reserves. To my surprise, this year I also spotted one in my backyard, but I only saw it once. They are known to scurry away quickly when spotted.

And then there are the birds — they are by far the order of animals that I see most often and most easily. They are also delightful because of their great variety. Just recently, I saw a rare avian visitor to my yard, the black-and-white warbler (Mniotilta varia). I usually see them in nature reserves.

In contrast, the lovely little chipping sparrows (Spizella passerina) are birds that I often see in my yard and at my feeders. This pair was resting in a tree top near a former dairy farm, which is now being turned into a vast vineyard. Much of the birds’ habitat has been removed during this changeover to my great disappointment.

One bird that still remains in that area is the solitary sandpiper (Tringa solitaria), which is easily recognizable by its habit of bobbing its rear end as it walks along shores looking for food.

The sandpiper is not the only shorebird currently drawing birders in our area. Many varied species have been turning up at local lakes, giving birders the opportunity to see “lifers” (birds seen in person for the first time). The limpkin (Aramus guarauna) is one such bird for me — it was a treat to see it looking for clams and molluscs at a local lake.

Next blog: making acquaintance with a bird I’d like to imitate!

 

 

My welcome American crow friends

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On numerous occasions over the past months, I’ve had ideas for new blogs and set aside photos for posting. But then other things crop up that need to be handled (health, car/house issues and a monthly newspaper column) and I put off blogging. So when fellow blogger Denzil asked his followers to post some photos of corvids, it was a great opportunity to share with you some of my latest photos of favorite visitors to my yard.

A pair of crows have been coming to visit my yard for many years now. I’ve had numerous opportunities to see them courting and looking for treats at bird feeders (and occasional pieces of apple that I put out when they come by). Above, one of them was addressing me and then gave him/herself a kind of creepy look when s/he covered her/his eyes with the nictitating membrane.

Each year, mom and dad return with their newest brood in tow. Sometimes I think offspring from previous years also join the group as this year I’ve had 6 or 7 of them come by at a time.

They are fond of several kinds of bird food that I put out for other birds, including dried mealworms and my homemade suet.

They hang their big bodies off the feeders and then usually fly down to consume whatever morsels they have gotten.

They are a loquacious lot, communicating loudly among themselves much of the time.

They are loudest, however, when they gather together to chase off the red-tailed and Cooper’s hawks who also live in the neighborhood. The crow family does not like them at all and make it known to all their neighbors, avians and humans alike. The other birds are likely happy with their alarm calls as they disappear when warned of hawks in the vicinity.

And then the corvids can also relax, enjoying drinks and bathing in the yard birdbaths. When they appear to have enjoyed a treat, I sometimes find “gifts” left behind in the  brightest birdbath. One day, when I apparently had not given them something special for some time, they took off with a small ceramic turtle that they often would leave in the birdbath after a visit. I now wonder if they gifted another neighbor with that trinket.

Their visits are always welcome to me, perhaps because I haven’t seen them harassing any of the smaller birds. Denzil’s suggestion to post about corvids was a nice reminder of the birding pleasure “my” family of crows brings along.