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Coker’s Amanita
Coker’s Amanita (Amanita cokeri). A mycorrhizal mushroom, meaning they will share a symbiotic relationship, or mutually beneficial relationship, with hardwoods and conifers. Growing in the soil under the trees that they benefit and receive benefit from. They’ll grow singly or together in groups. Coker’s Amanitas can be found in eastern US and in the Southeast…
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Poison Ivy In The Spring
Early April. Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) begins to emerge, ready to tackle another year. Buds that become flowers, arrive soon after the leaves. Flowers that become berries in April will delight hungry birds come winter. _______________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts, sign up here!
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Buds To Berries
Until I moved here to the cabin, Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) was just a plant that I needed to avoid. Those three leaves – beware. But now I have learned there is so much more to know about the plant. There are buds in May (in the photo above, left). And believe it or not,…
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Eating Poison Ivy Berries
Seems mighty strange but Poison Ivy berries are quite popular with birds. Here, a Chickadee (Paridae) enjoys a snack of what else, Poison Ivy berries. Chickadees, here at my location are just Chickadees. This area is where the range of two species of Chickadees overlap. Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) and Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus). They…
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Lawyer’s Wig
Lawyer’s Wig (Coprinus comadtus). A fungus found in Europe, Asia and North America and commonly found in areas that suit its needs, in grassy areas, along gravel roads (which is where I found these), and waste areas. A fungus with an odd method of spore dispersal. As it matures it will slowly turn to a…
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Cardinal Catching The Sun
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). Soaking up the sun to chase away the chill. A few flakes of snow are a maybe in the forecast for up here. Birds are mobbing the feeders. __________________________________________________________________ If you would like to receive my daily blog posts, sign up here!
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Evasive Agaric
Evasive Agaric (Crepidotus versutus). A very small mushroom with a cap that is kidney shaped, fan shaped or circular. The color is white to gray, with an edge that is scalloped. Small or very small. Its cap grows to be one inch wide. These fungi are saprobes, decomposers of dead and decaying wood, leaves, and…
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Another Winter Butterfly
This is a Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) which is another butterfly that you might see fluttering about in the sun on a warm winter day. A butterfly that overwinters as an adult, but enjoys those days when the temperature rises. Like the few other butterflies that overwinter as adults, the Mourning Cloak finds a crevice…
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Time Will Fly
As I look through my photographs from last winter, January 2022, along with my notes of the weather, I am surprised at how quickly spring descended upon me and the gardens around my cabin. I first notice that snow was plentiful in the first weeks of January. Nine inches on January 3rd, three inches on…