Purple Club Coral / alloclavaria purpurea

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all Americans today, whatever part of the world they may be living in. Our Canadian Thanksgiving was on 13 October 2014. We have so much to be thankful for, even when times are tough.

A photo from my archives, taken when I went with a few friends to Upper Kananaskis Lake on 5 August 2012, where we hiked the Sarrail Falls Trail. Our original plans had been to hike the Mt. Everest Trail (which I'd never be able to manage now!), but coming across a Grizzly Bear sow and cub right near the parking lot made us change our plans : ) I was thrilled that we found this fungus along the trail – I had only ever seen it once before (in West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis). A difficult fungus to photograph in the forest, but any photo is better than none : ) Some nice moss and lichen growing around it, too.

"The fruit body 3-12cm high, 2-6mm wide individually; numerous slender cylindrical to spindle-shaped, compressed fruit bodies in a tuft; purple, lavender, amethyst, or pale brownish or smoky purple fading to pinky-buff." From Rogers Mushrooms website.

www.rogersmushrooms.com/gallery/DisplayBlock~bid~5739.asp