Brown-Lowery Provincial Park

This was such a strange looking fungus that I found at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park a few days ago. Some looked square, others triangular and the rest looked rather misshapen. Just have to go back when I can, to see what other treasures of the dense forest I can find :) As usual, I have no idea what it is called.

I think I'm right in saying that this is some kind of Hericium fungus. Always looks so pretty growing on a fallen log. This one was at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 4th September 2008.

An unidentified mushroom growing through moss and (I think) Spotted Dog Lichen at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. "The brown- to black-coloured 'warts' on the upper surface contain tiny colonies of bacteria that extract nitrogen from the atmosphere for use by the lichen and the algal partner. The name Peltigera is from the Latin pelta, which means 'a light shield'. The name refers to the round shield-like shape. The species name, aphthosa, is from the Greek aphthai, meaning 'an eruption or pustule'. The name refers to the dark-coloured 'warts' on the upper surface of this lichen." From www.ontariowildflower.com .

This is the tiniest fungus you can imagine - you might just notice teeny spots of orange on a decaying log in the forest, which might turn out to be these, with their ring of " hairs". Saw this one at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, south west of the city, on 5th August. "Scutellinia scutellata, commonly known as the eyelash cup, the Molly eye-winker, the scarlet elf cap, the eyelash fungus or the eyelash pixie cup, is a small saprophytic fungus of the genus Scutellinia. It is the type species of Scutellinia, as well as being the most common and widespread. The fruiting bodies are small red cups with distinct long, dark hairs or "eyelashes". These eyelashes are the most distinctive feature and are easily visible with a magnifying glass. The species is common in North America and Europe, and has been recorded on every continent. S. scutellata is found on rotting wood and in other damp habitats, typically growing in small groups, sometimes forming clusters. It is sometimes described as inedible, but its small size means it is not suitable for culinary use. Despite this, it is popular among mushroom hunters due to its unusual "eyelash" hairs, making it memorable and easy to identify." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scutellinia_scutellata

A mushroom I found over a year ago at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park.

I just HAD to go back for a third time to Brown-Lowery Park today, to see if I could find any new species of fungus : ). I know that soon everywhere will be covered in a layer of snow : (. In addition to a few more photogenic mushrooms, I was lucky enough to come across this male (yellow on forehead) Three-toed Woodpecker, too. Amazingly, it had flown to a tree right by the trail where I was walking, but definitely not at eye-level, suggested by this image, LOL! The light was grim, so almost all my photos will have to be deleted. Did manage to rescue about four of them, though. These birds are uncommon year-round; irruptive.

Can you believe it, another mushroom photo, LOL? Seen at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park.

I just love these enormous, white fungi - so perfect, so exactly round, like a dinner plate! Seen in Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 17th August.

My descriptions for these four photos have disappeared for some strange reason, so will write them again. Yesterday, five of us squeezed into one car and went to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park for the afternoon. Our weather included torrential rain, thunder, lightning, hail and even a bit of snow in some areas, LOL!! We brave souls still had such a great walk through the dense forest there, and I was thrilled to see my very first wild Calypso Orchid! The light was atrocious deep within the woods, so I ended up deleting most of my 93 photos : ). Will post this really bad image, and hopefully I will sometime get the chance to go back there when the sun is shining. These small Orchids are very dainty and fragile and such a pretty colour. We were lucky enough to see a Three-toed Woodpecker there and also a Varied Thrush (which I saw more as a dark silhouette moving in the distant trees). I have longed to see a Varied Thrush the last few years, so it was a thrill just knowing that there was one there. Thanks, David, for finding my very first one!