September 17, 2017 - Annual Fungus Review

It's time for the annual fungus parade.  I'm not a mushroom expert, so I can only identify a few, but I enjoy the great variety in size, color, and form of these intriguing organisms as I tour the woods.  I'll show some new ones along with my favorites, starting with the tiniest samples and working my way up.

British Soldiers among various fungi and mosses

These are called British Soldiers due to their color and form resembling British troops in the Revolutionary War.  This brigade was mustering on top of an old white pine stump;  they are really small.

That's my thumb

I cheated here a bit, because these are actually a lichen, which is composite organism made up of fungi and algae working together in a symbiotic relationship.  As I discussed in last year's fungus post, fungi work symbiotically with many other organisms which enables our entire forest ecosystem to exist.

A bit larger are these little white fungi that speckled the forest floor in the middle of August, something new I haven't noticed before.

Next up are the small orange mushrooms that grow all summer long, often right near or on a trail. These are Orange Mycena.

Orange Mycena, (Mycena leaiana)

Now here's something that's a bit different:  Yellow Slime Mold.

Yellow Slime Mold (Fuligo septica) showing yellow and white tissue

I assumed this was a fungus, but looking it up I found that it has been re-characterized from a fungus to a "Eukaryotic".  [Ref:  Wikipedia Slime mold] It appears to be the species Fuligo septica, also known as "scrambled egg slime" or "dog vomit slime" (I don't make this stuff up).  And it gets better - this organism can move:  It can "form a ... mass of undifferentiated cells that that may move in an ameboid-like fashion during the search for nutrients."  [Ref:  Wikipedia Fuligo septica]  Sounds the plot of a horror movie - seen any of these walking around the lake recently?  You can read more about its bizarre properties at the references provided.

Moving up in size is this new (for me) mushroom, the first purple fungus I've come across.

Purple Cort (Cortinarius iodeoides)

I found this one while doing boundary monitoring on the Rawson Wood Conservation Area near Blake Brook on the west side of Lake Wicwas.  A quick search suggests it is a Purple Cort Mushroom, which grow in New Hampshire hardwood forests, especially oak, so it all fits [Ref: MushroomExpert.com].  Since it is only purple when it first emerges, turning gray as it ages, it's possible I've seen one before but never noticed it as something unique. It appears people eat these, but not this person.

So as not to bore the reader, I'll just show a few of the more interesting specimens I found, and then finish with the granddaddy of the summer. First, a medium size orange one emerging from under the leaf litter.

Next a Fly Amanita growing from a dead branch.

The common Fly Amanita

Here, emerging from the dirt and debris in the middle of a trail, is a family of pristine white mushrooms.

A nice collection of speckled maroon toadstools took up residence in this mossy spot.


There are many animals that consume these nutrient-filled organisms including insects, mammals and amphibians.

A red eft looking for small insects feeding on this medium-sized fungi

And finally, the biggest and brightest find of my roamings about the Lakes Region this summer:

Sulphur Shelf (Laetiporus sulphureus)

I'm pretty sure this is the sulphur shelf, or "chicken mushroom," considered by many to be good eating, but again, not something I'm going try.  I'm happy just to feast on these strange organisms with my eyes as the summer passes into fall.

August 28, 2016

As the labor day holiday approaches, signs of the waning summer are becoming hard to ignore even though we continue to be treated to glorious summer weather.  Sunrises are later and have moved noticeably towards the south compared to their June horizon crossings.

Sunrises over Lake Wicwas are moving the south

At one of those sunrises I had my first good look this summer at a local osprey, its underside brightly illuminated by the sun as it flew overhead.

An osprey on its morning fishing route

Another tell tale sign of late summer is revealed on cool mornings when the warm lake dislodges  water molecules into the atmosphere which are immediately condensed into low hanging fog.  The sun shining through the layer fashions some of the most ephemeral scenes on a lake.

Mist rises to reveal the far shore

The fog has long cleared by noon time, providing clear skies with long views from the lake shores and hilltops.  Here is a view of the white mountains from the top of Arbutus Hill, just west of Lake Wicwas.

New Hampshire's White Mountains from Arbutus Hill

The summit of Arbutus HIll is accessible from the Hamlin trail head - follow the Yellow Trail to the Magenta Trail, through the Smyth Conservation Easement and up to the view point on Arbutus Hill.  It's just over a four mile hike and well worth the trip.  Here's a link to the trail map.  (This and other maps of hiking trails in Meredith are available at the Meredith Conservation Commission website.)

While you're hiking in any of the conservation areas in Meredith you are likely to come across something interesting, whether plant, animal or mineral.  And as fall approaches, both plants and animals will become more evident (the minerals don't change their behavior so quickly).  Listen for the chopping of a woodpecker - it will usually be a downy or a hairy woodpecker, but this week I heard the loud hack of a Pileated and was able to track it down using the sound as a beacon.

Pileated Woodpecker

He (note the red mustache) was kind enough to continue his work on the oak tree so I could get a video, complete with wood chips flying into the air.  The blog doesn't like video, so I posted it on youtube here.

I also saw a Great Blue Heron, though not in its usual venue in the water, instead stalking some small morsel right through the woods at the edge of the lake, probably a frog or a toad.

A Great Blue Heron stalks its prey

On the plant side, the Speckled Alder are starting to develop their seed cones.

Speckled Alder (Alnus rugosa) catkins

The cones are actually the alder flower and are called catkins.  Alders are important trees for many animals;  moose, deer, and rabbits take advantage of their low and thick cover, and mammals such as beaver, muskrat, rabbits and moose browse on their bud, twigs and foliage.  Many birds eat their seeds and buds, including redpoll, grouse and woodcock.  It is also a favorite of beavers for use in their dams and lodges as it is quick to regenerate.  [Ref: USDA National Plant Reference Center]   Alder has medicinal applications and has even been used to improve water conditions in shrimp tanks!  [Ref: The Planted Tank]

Remember the pretty trillium back in May?  Well, by late summer those tiny plants have turned into giant leafy creatures, and their flowers have developed large seeds.

Painted Trillium in its late-summer foliage

How things change over the summer.

With a little bit of rain this week combined with shorter days and cooler temperatures at the end of August, mushrooms are starting to come on in force.  I believe this is the tiny Orange Mycena, less than an inch tall.

Orange Mycena (Mycena leaiana)

Look for many more varieties of fungi to sprout up during your forest walks as fall approaches.

July 6, 2014

Happy Independence Day!

There was a lot going on around Lake Wicwas this holiday weekend, both human and wild.  Of course, there were lots of boats on the water and fourth of July parties everywhere, but most exciting was that the loon chick has survived its first, critical week.  I have not seen it, but others have;  the parents have been giving it rides on their back (which also keeps it safe from ever-hungary predators, like large mouth bass and snapping turtles) and catching small fish to feed it.  I have no pictures, but here's one from a previous successful nesting on Wicwas.

The weather was pretty wild as hurricane Arthur passed to our east, bringing strong winds and whitecaps, but the family found safe harbor in one of the many protected coves around the lake.

On Sunday morning there was a loon parade, celebrating the fourth of July a little late, maybe postponed by the weather like the Meredith fireworks.  There was one leader - the drum major - way out in front, with five others following along.

Independence Day Parade on Lake Wicwas

 

I don't know what caused the parade behavior, but I again wonder if it has to do with distracting loons away from the new chick.  We are expecting to have a speaker from the Squam Lakes Science Center at the Lake Wicwas Association annual meeting on August 2nd - maybe we'll get some answers about all this interesting bird activity.

When one of the loons did a "foot-wag" it revealed an identification band put there to help track and understand loons.  I was not able to discern the colors well enough to identify the band - I could only see some green and perhaps some yellow - maybe we'll get another chance in the coming days.

A Fuzzy Leg Band

And speaking of bands, our proud new father received its own band just this week.  Late one night a group of biologists and local loon watchers carefully capture the male loon and placed a band on its leg.  This will let us see if the same pair has been returning to Lake Wicwas year after year.  They also made note of the bird's health and other key parameters.  He was set loose unharmed and was back with the family the next day.

Another diving bird has been living on Lake Wicwas:  a Cormorant.  You may see it perching high in a pine tree near the middle of the lake.  I found it resting on the end of a fallen tree one morning.

Cormorant

The warm weather has encouraged the mushrooms to grow.  These tiny Orange Mycenas had just emerged on a old rotting log.

Orange Mycena (Mycena leaiana)

These fungi start out their lives with this bright orange color, and then fade as they mature.  These were only half an inch in diameter, but can grow up to one and a half inches across.

They have some useful properties, including an orange pigment and a slight anti-bactierial property.  It is not considred edible, though I didn't find any evidence saying that it is poisonous.

Another mushroom growing now must not be poisonous, at least to chipmunks and squirrels!  This new sample didn't even to push its way clear of the forest debris before someone decided to feast on it.

A healthy meal for Chipmunk

And there was at least one other non-poisonous treat that got consumed immediately upon emerging:

There was nothing left of this by July 5th!