Fall Fungi

Now that the Fall rains have arrived, mushrooms seem to be popping up everywhere! Though they are not showy like flowers, they have a certain appeal of their own, many being quite diminutive in size. It sometimes takes a keen eye to spot them....but is worth the search.



A trio of tiny toadstools.

A pretty pair..... charming in their little brown caps.

A stocky single specimen.

This looks a little like the type you buy in the grocery store, but I'm sure it isn't edible. I don't know a thing about classifying these, but if anyone can identify them, feel free to do so in the Comments.

I like the way the light plays behind this fragile little mushroom.

And lastly.... my favorite photo. Same mushroom as above, plucked and turned upside down to reveal the intricate gills on it's underside.


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"I am a mushroom; On whom the dew of heaven drops now and then." ~John Ford

"All mushrooms are edible - once." ~unknown

Autumn Images

This has been one of the most beautiful Autumns I can remember.... with mild temps and many sunny days, which has made garden clean-up a pleasant task. I've been so busy outdoors, I nearly missed capturing a few photos of the fall colors with my camera.

This wild Cherry tree stands just behind our wood shed. The day after I took the photo, the tree was nearly bare....the bright leaves piled in a soft bed beneath it's limbs.

Our mountain in Autumn. The sky was grey on this particular day, but the colors brilliant.

These beautiful rose hips dot the hillsides in abundance at this time of year.

A scene on the Southfork of the Clearwater River, with Autumn colors at their peak.

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"Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees."

~Faith Baldwin

Icy Iceland Poppy

As I walked around the garden on this chilly morning, I saw this Salmon colored Iceland Poppy lying flattened on the dirt, sparkling with frost. The stark contrast between the fading flower and the dark ground beneath it prompted me to go inside for my camera.

This variety of Iceland Poppy is called Meadow Pastels. The colors are soft and pretty, this particular color being one of my favorites. They were started from winter sown seed. I had just recently spread a layer of my homemade compost on this bed in preparation for growing my early greens here next year......hence, the squash seed, visible to the left of the flower. :-)

A short distance away from the flower was it's missing petal.

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"For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad."

~Edwin Way Teale