Our Mushroom Planet

~ Mushrooms & Fungi ~

Gems Of The Forest

When I first went out to capture my world with a camera, my focus was mushrooms.  Although that is in the distant past and I love all things I find, the fungi still fascinate me and call out for recognition.  

There are, literally, hundreds of pictures waiting in my "Ready To Post" folder, but few of them have an ID yet.  In spite of owning two fantastic field guides, and in spite of using four trusted and magnificent on line sites, most of my mushrooms and fungi remain a mystery.  There aren't a lot of common names floating around, and to pin a mushroom down, without question, to a firm identification, is almost impossible for me.  Some I know, some I will eventually discover.

I figure I'll post some here and hope you like them - a few will have some sort of name.

One very important caveat - remember this!

DO NOT EAT WILD MUSHROOMS - NOT EVER - UNLESS YOU ARE AN EXPERT OR HAVE AN EXPERT WITH YOU WHEN COLLECTING! 

Fungi do not require chlorophyll to thrive.  They use the food-producing ability of other organic materials (like plants) and feed of that.  Many draw nourishment from tree roots or decaying branches, for example.  Fungi are scientifically closer to animals than plants - how strange - but they are not like any other kind of organism.  You can read more at these sites if you are interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungus

http://faculty.clintoncc.suny.edu/faculty/michael.gregory/files/bio%20102/bio%20102%20lectures/fungi/fungi.htm

All these pictures are from my immediate locale - Green Lane, Pennsylvania, USA, and they will give you an inkling of the awesome diversity of color, shape, and size. I'll post more from time to time as these don't even scratch the surface.

When you go walking, keep your eyes peeled for beautiful fungi.

I think this is a golden chanterelle - don't bet on it, however:>)

Indigo Lactarius

No ID - perhaps Leptonia

 This mushroom is hosting a crane fly.  They look a lot like mosquitoes but do not bite - have no fear:>)  Pennsylvania has over 300 species of crane flies, if I remember correctly, and they vary in size from big to really tiny.

 This one is tiny, and apparently feeds on mushrooms - amazing what one can see in the woods!

No firm ID for the mushroom.

Bolete-type  Boletes have a spongy underside, not gills

Bolete-type

I have no idea-type

Hmmm - Bolete, I think

Wagon Wheel Mushrooms - a likely Pinwheel Marasmius

Best guess - Mycena

A very small Bolete-type

I call it the Eraser Mushroom - Got a better idea?

Possibly an Amanita

No ID yet

No ID yet

Hygrocybe is my best attempt

In order to get a good ID on a mushroom, you often need a spore print and a microscope.  Do not depend on your eyes.  Remember that some mushrooms are delicious and some can make you very ill, even cause death.  Collecting mushrooms is a job for true experts.


Thank you for coming by!

The Tiny World Of Insects

Pause And Observe A Micro World

We are literally surrounded by tiny organisms that we seldom see.  Part of their invisibility is our failure to look, to pause as we rush from here to there.  Today my post is to show some of the fun, or interesting, insects in our daily lives.  

For you who may be allergic to spider images, at the very bottom of this page is a picture of a Harvestman (Daddy Long Legs) - not really a spider but most people think of them in those terms.  I include this not for the Harvestman but for the teeny tiny fly sitting on it's butt! 

As days go on I'll post spiders, but for now I'll play it safe and not scare the britches off anyone.  Spiders are not the fearsome, horrific creatures many people envision; they are beautiful, diverse, fascinating, and everywhere.  Rest assured any spider posts will be clearly labelled.

It is common for some ants to "farm" aphids.  They carry them to food, clean them, pat them, fuss them up, and defend them.  In return, the aphids give the ants a special treat.  The ants LOVE the aphid honeydew (excretions).  Here you can see the ants doing their farming chores and the pampered aphids are serenely eating and getting fat.  I found them on the tender tip of a grape vine.

These are Milkweed Bug nymphs.  They are a couple instars old (each shedding of their skin is called an instar) and will go through more before becoming adults.  As adults, they are a wild orange and black pattern and you can find them easily as the days lead up to Halloween - perfect timing:>)  Milkweed bugs are born, grow, mate, eat, and die on Milkweed - that's their world.

These are aphids.  We know them well as garden pests and there are many types, colors, sizes.  They suck the juices of plants, and if there are enough of them, they will harm their food plant.  In the natural food chain, aphids feed a number of larger critters.  We can rid our plants of them with soapy water, but I beg you to think twice then twice again before using chemical pesticides.  Unintended consequences can be bad and many "good" bugs can be killed - not that aphids are bad!  They are only pests in our minds, not in the natural world properly in balance.

Last summer my husband found these eggs on our tomato plants.  We were puzzled and he researched to find out what they were.  Turns out these are the eggs of the Green Stink Bug.  We removed them and destroyed them - manually - but I thought you might like to see them and know what they are.

This is a Praying Mantis egg case.  These eggs you DO want in your garden or yard because the beautiful Praying Mantis is also a voracious consumer of garden pests.  Actually, they eat anything yummy that comes in reach.  this egg case feels like styrofoam or the foam you spray into cracks - very rigid and light.  Gardeners can purchase egg cases from nurseries or on line; they will be sent o buyers at the correct time of year for the little ones to hatch.

Capturing this fly on the Daddy Long Legs' backside was totally an accident, a happy accident, however:>)  This picture is BIG so you can see the insect.

Winter's Landscapes ~ White Is In Fashion

~ Winter's Landscapes ~ White Is In Fashion ~

Winter has a beauty all her own.  This year the color du jour is definitely white, and we love it almost without reservation.  By now, however, we are ready for Spring!  Showing you some lovely landscapes is a way to kiss Winter good-bye, give it one last wave, and to begin looking for wildflowers, mushroom, bugs, and such.

Pennsylvania is blessed with so many creeks, streams, and rivers that many landscapes are likely to contain one. These are all local to our area.

Twilight at Deep Creek in Green Lane, Pennsylvania

Ridge Valley Creek at King and Dietz Mill Roads, Green Lane, Pennsylvania

Old Railroad Bridge Off Hoppenville Pike

Dam and Creek Off Badman Road, Tylersport, Pennsylvania

Unami Creek at Price and Swamp Creek Roads, Green Lane, Pennsylvania

Good-bye, Winter, Good-bye:>)

Learning To Navigate This New Blog

Learning To Navigate This New Blog

Although I'm planning, long term, to post once a week, the learning curve for blogging is a challenge for me so you may have more posts than that in the beginning.  I'm hoping the practice is still interesting and appealing for readers.

Here are a few images from summer, fall, and a few days ago (winter).

This young Whitetail Deer was born in the spring of 2013.  The snow is proving difficult for the critters, but the deer are willing to eat such bad-tasting stuff as English Ivy to stay nourished.

This Clearwing Hawk Moth is a daytime flier and feeder.  You'll see them hovering around flowers, sipping nectar.  They like to eat with their two front feet lightly touch.  People call them "Hummingbird Moths" because of the way they fly and hover.  This picture was taken early in the morning and I think the moth was sleeping.  Normally you won't find them sitting still!

Daylilies were introduced into North America, but they've established themselves just about everywhere and now grace and brighten our roadsides and meadows with their beautiful orange blossoms.  They are survivors!  Many hybrids now exist so gardeners can find almost any size, shape, or color of blossom for their gardens.  I still love the originals.

The Euonymous bush is a lovely, native wild plant in our area.  It can also be know as the "Spindle" tree. Autumn sees the leaves turn this awesome red color - so bright you'd pick it out immediately.  The berries are bright red and serve as food for wildlife, especially birds.

Autumn also brings on the gorgeous foliage of Mapleleaf Viburnum shrubs.  The berries are a deep blue and they also serve as food for wildlife.  This is a wild shrub that loves the edges of the hardwood forest.

Thank you for your visit.  Have a great week!

Welcome to my first try at blogging.

WOW!  My First Page:>)

We live in such a busy world, and so many beautiful and interesting things just plain escape our notice.  Come here to see some of the most common and most lovely bits of our natural world, at least those in Pennsylvania and the nearby states.

If you are made aware of something you never heard of, never saw, never imagined before this blog,  something good happened.

I am not a scientist, don't have a college degree, and am now retired from decades of work as a supervisor of customer service departments in some very large companies.  Work kept me inside the office, inside my car, inside my house for more hours each day than I was outside.  I left home in the dark and came home in the dark.  The only times I could enjoy our beautiful outdoors was on weekends and vacations; how sad is that!

The aim here is to post something interesting at least once a week.  It is my hope that you will find both the pictures and the writing interesting and worth a few minutes of your time.  

Thank you for giving this humble blog a look/see.  As I learn, things will get more duded up.  For now, things will be simple.

This is March 8, 2014, and as wonderful as snow and cold weather can be, it's time for spring:>)  Let's have one last moment of praise for winter's pristine beauty.

White's Mill Preservation Area

 Our Woods

Let's also hope our birds and other critters will find surviving easier with each passing March day.

Blue Jay

Pileated Woodpecker

 Male Dark-eyed Junco

Female Eastern Cardinal

 Wild Turkey

Our Hydrangea Shrubs In Ice

For now, the snow is hanging on.  Tomorrow promises to be warm, maybe Monday as well.  I can't wait to see bare ground!

Have  great week.