Fungi and Slime Molds...Yipee!

So much fungi, so little time!

 

For my fun with the Princess Sara Quest and journey, I have to figure out who the 'bad' guys are. I swapped a mummy head to this Witch's body from the D&D collection. I thought it would be fun to have her making a potion out of some rather wilted looking fungi.

This dude is a mix up of head, hair, and body. I just put it all together because it made this minifig look rather crazy. He is holding a fungi that grows on old oak logs called 'Deadman's Fingers'. 

I feel it is appropriate for Zombie type Minifigs.

I'd stuffed these guys in my pocket when I went out to check the fence the other morning. I couldn't help but stop and set up these little shots.

My fence inspection found a tree that fell on the fence in the valley so I have to get back and fix that sometime very soon. At the moment I have access to the valley shut off. The mules like to go there on hot days as it is a cooler area.

However, I hit the bonus of all cool things in the forest on my way back home.

Fungi and Slime Molds!

I'm not going to try and ID all of them for you. Just enjoy the shots. Of the ones I know, I will give the names. Otherwise researching these would take up more time away from the pressing chores that are waiting me outside today.

Unknown Fungi. 8 shot focus stack hand held done in camera. Olympus has computational photography which will do an auto focus stack in the proper settings. It will also combine those shots into a jpg. In the past I've used Helicon Focus for this. However, since I like to get the shot and not spend too much time working in a program, I trust my OM-5 to help me out. 

[Not all the shots are focus stacked. Some were just quick shots. I have to keep moving even though I wanted nothing better to do than just explore more.]

This was about an inch and a half tall. I had a little light that I used to light it up from the side.

Happy little fungi on a moss strewn log...
the witch was using some of the wilted ones in her potion....

Here is another favorite of mine. Coral Fungi. It has a scientific name. I've ID'd it before, but I love thinking of it as Land Coral.

This is a few days old so it is turning brown. But this log ought to provide for more beautiful formations this summer.

Mark that log!

Some of my ALL time favorite Slime Molds!
Chocolate Tube Slime. I laid the lighter on the log for perspective.

Isn't this little forming one cute?

and then there are its big brothers...

the first shot was taken in the morning. The second shot was taken in the early afternoon so they could have been drying out. This stuff is usually gone in about 24 to 48 hours. 

What a lucky find for me! I haven't seen slime mold for a while since we've had such dry years.

The log I found it on. They look like they are marching across the log.

Another favorite. Deadman's Fingers. They get creepier as they get a little larger. But pretty neat in my book.

And last but hopefully not the last I find this weekend. A pretty little gilled mushroom on a moss covered log.

I mean, who doesn't like cute fungi and slime molds???

Well now...

I sure had plans for this week. A bike trail, a hike at Billings Creek, and of course gardening, yard work, and grocery shopping.

Monday's text from the tree guys said: We should be ready to do your trees later this week.

I replied: Let me know a day ahead of time so I can take down the fence and move the animals.

So we hurried up and mowed the yard, I took down fencing that would be in the way where they would stack the cut up pines. I scurried around and cleaned things up so when I got the text there would be less to do.

And now it is Friday and I am wondering if later this week means Saturday or Sunday or??? Did they get held up on another job?

Everything got turned upside down this week. Wednesday was a complete wash as I didn't feel good.
Then there were the phone calls with the Palliative care nurse and the pharmacist regarding hubby's meds. I had to stay near the house all day and wait for an overnight delivery of meds and a video appointment with his Palliative Care Team.

I should learn never to make real plans this year. It just doesn't seem to work out well.

BUT!

I did get out just after sunrise each morning and take a walk through the pastures way out back.
After all, no one calls, texts, or needs me for anything at that time of the morning. So it is just me, nature, my camera, and sometimes my tiny box of Legos that need to go adventuring.

My method is just this. I walk along and look at interesting things in the pasture and woods. I look for interesting light and plants while checking to see if the hot wire fences are still intact. They usually are. Only during rut season do they generally get knocked off the insulators.

If something catches my eye, I stop.

I couldn't help myself in this spot of morning light coming through the woods. The rock was a perfect spot to do something with my little alien tourist and Skate Board Willy.
The little guy on the skateboard actually belongs to a space lab build, but I just imagined him as having more fun as a skateboard artist. Maybe gravity doesn't matter to him so much?

That must be his uncle taking his photo, right? What a daredevil.

The little sun flares just seemed to add to the fun so I kept them.

I had another character in my box. He is a rare Lego [I like finding the rare ones!]. 

I couldn't resist putting him in a ray of light so the sun shown through him.
He is a Rock Monster and in my thinking, he must be joining the others to steal that dragon egg that looks like a rock!

Truly, only a strange mind could think all of that up in an instant, right?

Creativity for me gives me moments of euphoria. It is a warm fuzzy feeling that is combined with a huge sigh. 

Soon enough after having those moments, I have to get back to managing another person's health care and running our small place.

Things don't always go as planned, but small moments of joy sure help out with that.

Onward.

Checking fences on a Wet Monday

I do this nearly every day. I check the fences and walk back to the creek and make sure all is good. The mules are back in the forest that is above the creek. I kept thinking I should move them back out into the more open pasture with wicked weather on the way again.

The last two days were so muggy and hot. 

I almost wished we'd had that hard rain and a good gully washer to clean the jewel weed out of the creek and make it pretty again. I'm glad though that we didn't. It took our township 5 years to get the funds allocated to fix The JJ Bridge. I guess I'll put up with the jewel weed until we get a washer.

The jewel weed hides ankle twisting mossy boulders and makes creek hiking a bit more complicated.

Charlie was a trooper, he likes to dig when I pause to look at things.

The rains have been good for the forest, but perhaps a bit late. One of my favorite maple trees is starting to change colors on a few branches.

We found these on a log just above the creek bank.

 

The log was full of them in different stages, some totally withered. 

This morning I left Charlie behind. I carried the pocket camera again just because the skies were overcast and threatening rain, though the radar showed the rain was moving east.

I decided to take a short cut through my west neighbor's pasture and follow his cow paths towards a spot that was easy to cross the barbed wire fence.

I saw something brown and assumed it was one of his cattle. But it wasn't.

I stood still for a long time and slowly pulled up the camera. It sucks at long distances, but that is what I had.

I like the silent shutter! She watched me.

And then she started to circle me, I assume to try and get a scent off from me. 

I spent a long time standing still. She spent a long time slowly circling me.

Eventually another deer 'whistled' and she walked away.

The sun has come out and it is drippy muggy out. At least we get to see the sun again before the clouds move in tonight and more storms develop.

Another night with a quacking little black dog? We'll see!