Magic Mushrooms

The latter half of October has been grey and wet and cold, more like a November, but one of the things that kept it from being a total wash was this amazing crop of fungi. It was almost supernatural, the way these things kept popping up. The first one was right outside the west door of the school, under a pine tree. It was about 10 inches in diameter. It had collapsed under its own weight.

 

This monster was attached to a side of a tree on the bluff overlooking the lake. It was a good 18 inches across and a beautiful orange that didn't reproduce so well in the light of the overcast sky. Like a fungal corsage for the tree , it was beautiful against the bluish bark.

The gills on this one, also found outside the school, are just amazing in their delicacy and precision. Mr.Bass from The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet would be experiencing paroxysms of delight. If you didn't read that book growing up, you missed a wonderful flight.

 Another spectacular umbrella, this one had a spectacular orange and yellow cap with sesame seeds on it. What will nature think of next?

 This thing is the behemoth of mushroomdom. It was at least a foot across and about as round as a basketball. I've seen some big ones like this before, but this was by far the king. It had split open which kept it from looking too egg-like, but the first time I had seen it, it looked fit for a dinosaur embryo.

In Preparation for the Fall

 

The Fall has been kind to Erie. The rains have been few and gentle and the lake is keeping us warm. This day is not the first 70 degree day of the month, nonetheless the leaves are starting to change. Here are a couple of paintings from the summer, the top one early, the bottom one most recent. I'm still making excuses to use the Alizarin Orange. The bottom painting has doors that open up and inside there is a strange little bone and wood construct that I didn't photograph, so you will have to come and see it yourself. It is a most unusual relic.