Dirty Dishes...

Shhhh. Don't tell anyone. I left dirty dishes in the sink, clothes strewn across the unmade bed, and a mess of papers tossed on the table next to a half filled cup of coffee I abandoned.

Why?

Spring Ephemerals. You know the flowers that come up in the spring for a few days and then disappear until next year.

If I miss them, I am sad to have to wait for another chance at it again in the spring.

My friend Pat wanted to come along and see these flowers for herself. She has caught the bug of  finding flowers, native plants, and of course mushrooms. Great minds think alike. 

We decided to meet in town at 7AM and head out.

I haven't had anyone else like my early morning hikes [I do them a lot in the warmer months to avoid the heat]. So I jumped at the chance.

Here is a shot of Pat taking a shot of a trillium. We seem to enjoy shots of each other from behind...

Here is her shot of me and Hannah...

Charlie stayed home. He was informed that he needed a rest day. 
[He was not impressed and held a grudge against both myself and Hannah when we got home! A pouting dog!]

Below are Bishops Caps

I know, I should link to the scientific name

but I like the common names better.

They are easier to remember.

 Another favorite one of mine.

Ginger

The flowers are under the foliage 

like they are hiding!

Mayflowers. Mayapples.

As a kid I called them Umbrella Plants.

I think that describes them well.

They have not flowered yet.

I'm not very good at telling different ferns apart. 

These were ferns unfurling.

Yellow Rocket. 

I've always

seen this as just a weed but found 

out it is edible. Not that I have 

tried it.

We found this flower too, but it was hard

to figure it out.
Swamp Buttercup
I think years ago I just called it a buttercup and

left it at that.

This plant is easy to overlook.

It is tiny and grows in very shaded areas.

I believe it is a False or Wild Lily of
the Valley.

The green in the middle will have tiny white flowers.

Oh... last but not least...

There was this wild Thing we had with us. Her energy was boundless and she showed off by leaping up on logs and diving off from them with wild abandon.

We applauded her achievements and laughed. She handled the hike like it was second nature to her.

I was surprised when I got home that the Dirty Dishes were still there, as was the other messes I'd left. Apparently the Dish Faery and the Housekeeping Faery had also taken the morning off.

Morel Madness!

About 20 years ago my husband said to me, "Let's go Morel hunting!"
I'd never heard of a Morel and thought it was some sort of joke.

"No," my wise woodsman husband said, "Morels are wild mushrooms that only come up in the spring and are delicious when fried in flour and butter."

I wrinkled my nose and thought this whole idea sounded disgusting. However, if it meant that we'd be out in the woods during early spring, I'd go.
We found these terribly ugly but cute mushrooms that looked like brains.  They were hard to spot and fun to find.

It was even more fun when we saddled up and hunted Morels.  Badger was always the patient mule and never in a hurry.

Rich cooked the first morels I ever tasted.
I was certain that I was going to die from eating them.

My grandmother always cautioned me against mushrooms when we were out foraging for things like lambs quarters or other wild foods.  "Most mushrooms are poisonous," she'd say.  I believed her.  Mushrooms and fungi were fun to look at but don't touch and definitely do NOT eat!

But.
I tried morels.  And they were so good!

And besides, hunting morels is just another great reason to get out in the woods during the spring time and explore.

Why yesterday I spotted one right away when I got near the creek bottom.  I was so excited.  No matter how long I stared, I couldn't see any more.

Until, I decided to set up Doe and Dino for some fun shots.

I thought this would be funny.  A Dinosaur holding a morel mushroom.  These are the early ones and they are so small!

However as I leaned in and set things up on this creek bank, my eyes spotted a pattern under the gooseberry bushes.

My assistant patiently waited while I leaned under brush and searched out more morels.

I probably missed quite a few, but I tried to be thorough.  I stopped to admire some Bishop's Cap and ...

found some more!

I was also very glad to have brought my Nikon with the micro/macro lens.

After searching some more, I decided to head home with my bounty.  It was warm in the valley and I had forgotten to bring some water along.

Besides I was anxious to show my goodies to my husband and see the delight light up on his face.

What is the secret to finding morels?  Good eyes.  I've read that you are supposed to look for dead elms, but I've found them growing near apple trees and pine trees.  I think the secret is just patience and persistence.

And knowing your morels.  Don't hunt them without an experienced person getting the wrong mushroom could be a mistake.