3/15/2015

Slog-worthy

My muddy, drizzly walk was totally worth the slog and eventual shoe cleaning. The trout lilies on the Willow Springs trail were even more fascinating to me after hearing a panel discussion on KERA's "Think" program Monday. The explanation of trout lily colonies is from minutes seven to ten at this link. It seems trout lily colonies can be thousands of years old. The plant doesn't bloom until it is seven years old. Wildest of all, seed dispersal seems to be dependent on ants.

Not slog-worthy, this week I finally finished reading Anna Karenina on my Kindle. Never had to read it in school, and I wondered why it's a classic. Now I really wonder! There wasn't a single likable character in the whole tome, and the point of the pontificating eludes me.

So on a happier note, I present this fabulous fungus. I was a muddy mess by the time I found it, so I'm not sure if it was on the Rowlett Creek Trail or the Bur Oak Trail headed back to the parking lot. How long will it have this gorgeous color? I don't know.






Other muddy hike sights include this black fungus, the trout lilies, and the hole where a tree just fell over into the creek. Bet that was noisy.







© 2014-2015 Nancy L. Ruder

3 comments:

Debra said...

I LOVE trout lilies. One of my ultimate garden goals is to have soil worthy of including them someday. I found some jelly fungus in my back yard last week. There was a small bit growing on a dead log but a big piece had fallen from the storm onto the path. When I picked it up it really felt a lot like jello. Very cool stuff.

Collagemama said...

Thanks for your comment, Debra. I would love to have trout lilies, too, but maybe the magic is in the search!

Collagemama said...

I put my fungus photogs on iNaturalist and got several ID responses. Jelly Ear is the name. http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/50813-Auricularia-auricula-judae