a class of their own

After a recent hot hike in our Amazon-like woods, I realized we had a wider variety of wild mushrooms growing than I previously thought. I found them growing just about everywhere, including our lawn.

Out of curiosity, I tried to ID the ones I found recently with Google images. I also checked an online WI mushroom resource. The online site is as complex as mushrooms are, and none of what I found looked like an exact match. The rapidly evolving stages of a mushroom add to the challenge. They quickly pop up after a rain, and disappear just as fast. Here one day, gone the next.

If you are interested, take a look at my most recent 'shroomy finds: 

two lips

what I would name this mushroom, found growing in our lawn

(m. curly lushlipous)


two lips cousins?

perhaps the curled up edges are a survival stage, from a lack of water

found growing in the woods on a decaying oak
(broken branch)

I walked right over this tiny group of mushrooms
and turned back for a quick pic of their cuteness

they were maybe 2" high
huddled together all by themselves in the middle of a path

typical shape with cool edge coloring

Brad spotted these while he was mowing

I found a bunch of them last year, the tops get really red

look at the spongy yellow side on this big 'ol mushroom

I think it is the same as the mushroom above, but with the top sunk in

coolest mushroom find to date

enlarge to see the interesting detail on these tiny mushrooms!

I tried hard to ID this last one and found several possibilities
that say it is considered a delicacy

Mushrooms seem to be in a class of their own. I don't really need to ID them, I'll never remember the names. Unless they are common, like "two lips"!! They sure are fun to find and the detail/texture on them is amazing.

cactus watch

After missing out on cacti blooms the past couple years, I was determined to see them flower. They were in bud for an eternity:  

June 3

There are two types of native cacti growing wild in WI sand prairies. We have Plains Prickly Pear (Opuntia macrorhiza) cactus. They typically flower towards the end of June for an extended time, and can be found where sandy soil hasn't been disrupted. 

My cacti watch payed off this year. June 24 is the first day I saw a blooming cactus. It was hiding on the edge of the tree line across from our house. We had just gotten a fresh drink of water overnight, and the blooms were kissed by water droplets:

The cacti blooms came out a few days later at the bottom of our property, in a small area I call Cactus Cove. They looked like yellow roses: 
 

I kept checking on the Cactus Cove blooms, waiting for them to fully open. They had their struggles:

Japanese beetle infestation

We had a rainy stretch, and poof (!!) the cacti were done blooming in the Cactus Cove. There are a lot of cacti growing in our prairie area, it is pure sand. That area of our property has had the least amount of work done. This time of year it is a difficult area to enjoy. I look forward to future days with many more blooming discoveries!

Cactus Cove bloom

 

sunday stills ~ red & white -or- red, white & blue

red & white blooms

The Anthurium my sister helped my mom pick out for my birthday last year. Not my kinda plant, but it hasn't stopped blooming and fits nicely on my kitchen windowsill. Plus, it reminds me of my mom.

 

red, white & blue

There is a very long row of flags displayed all year on a country road just outside of town, maintained by a local farming family. I never thought about shooting these flags in the fog, until someone (cough, cough - Val) mentioned finding fog shots. I've always wanted to catch these flags all lit up by solar lights. I usually only shoot in the fog at home, and headed back after taking this photo - because, it was really foggy out! 

see more red/white/blue sunday stills 

sunday stills ~ outfit of the day

This Sunday Stills was a real challenge for me, and consequently turned into a Monday Stills. I just couldn't decide what to share, or not share at all.  

My outfits (if you want to call them that) consist of pretty much the same ordinary things every single day. I am just not a dresser upper, and lately it is rare to have a reason to. I tried to think of a creative spin, like maybe a shot of the tip of my boots or a hat. The only related photos I took this past week were selfies. I stink at taking selfies. Plus, I dislike photos of me in general. Kind of ironic for a photographer.

I have some cool archive photos (not of me!) that fit the challenge, but I am not participating in SS to showcase old photos. I am participating for new photo inspiration. These are not creative, but they are my outfit of the day(s).

my favorite long sleeved summer shirt
covered in hair from this very sick boy

wearing jeans and Leo


more sunday stills ~ outfits of the day