The Forest

So the first of today's pictures is looking out across the forest from a vantage point above Wolf River, you can just make out part of the river as it flows towards Wolf Lake. although the sky was fairly overcast (heavy rain followed not long after) the colours of the forest stand out as they announce the start of autumn.

With the changing season there is also a profusion of fungi along the forest floor and so the second image showcases a couple of different species growing next to a decaying stump.

I have photographed lots of different fungi during my trip so far and will be posting more in the near future.

Just two More

Tamron 150mm - 600mm f/5 -6.3

ISO 1000   213mm    f/6.3    1/250sec

ISO 1000    329mm     f/6.3     1/250sec

So tomorrow I will post something other than squirrels but I wanted to share just a couple more before moving on, after all they are so lovely.

In the first picture the squirrel had found something tasty on the forest floor but in the second I had tempted him down with a handful of seeds. 

I just love being outdoors and spotting these little fellas was a real treat.

Fairy Dell

I know that many of you will believe in fairies, even if that is something you keep to yourself.

You may wonder why I am so interested in photographing fungi and I would say that with so many shapes, sizes and colours  and the fact that they grow in lots of different places I genuinely find them quite fascinating. However there is another reason; little spots like the one in this photograph are perfect locations for fairies and the more I look the more chance there is of seeing some and when I do...

Pleated Inkcap Fungus

I spotted this tiny little fungus nestled in a shady spot in a bed of moss and I think it is a Pleated Ink Cap. There are so many different varieties of fungi its hard to be certain. I really need to learn a bit more about them don't I so that I can at least identify them with a bit more confidence.

Fairy Lights

Half way round my walk along the High Bowkerstead Trail the weather really took a turn for the worse and I realised I was going to have to pack all my gear away. I took shelter under some pine trees and as I started to pack up I saw these tiny fungi, they are really delicate but there were loads of them growing through the carpet of pine needles and bark on the forest floor.

I then saw the droplets of water on the plant in pictures three and four.  The weight of the water pulled the plant downwards each tiny droplet looked like a jewel.  I illuminated them with a small torch I carry in my pack and as the drops caught the beam of light they sparkled rather like fairy lights at Christmas.  I tried to get a sharp image from various angles however I had to give up due to the heavy rain.  It has given me some ideas for a future project but for now the pictures above will hopefully do nicely.