Mycelium, microscopes, and Megaceryle
My morning walk to work is punctuated by many pauses lately – the cooler temperatures and increasing rainfall have brought on an eruption of mushrooms, most notably the incredibly photogenic Aminita muscaria.
Aminita muscaria
You’ll notice a significant amount of variation in A. muscaria, with caps ranging between deep red to pale orange.
Here’s an A. muscaria just emerging from the underground mycelium – this sometimes called the button stage.
This weirdo popped up in the middle of a gravel soccer field – a seemingly inhospitable & bizarre environment to grow in. What it is, I don’t know, but I found another smaller cap on the same field.
Some patches of mushrooms growing at the base of a tree (being able to ID trees is helpful, since many mushrooms are mycorrhizal with specific species of tress). Note their beautifully grooved caps.
I found hundreds of these small, inconspicuous mushrooms growing under a hedge in front of an apartment.
Megaceryle alcyon (Belted Kingfisher)
During a recent visit to Jericho I watched this female Belted Kingfisher flying between the masts of sailboats in the marina and the exposed rocks of low tide, frequently rattling the air with her noisy call.
Branta hutchinsii (Cackling Goose)
If you find a flock of Canada Geese lazing around on a field at this time of year, look closely. Chances are you’ll spot an interloper or two, often some Cackling Geese. Though they might not be obvious at first, they’re visibly smaller – not much bigger than a Mallard.
Euglena ehrenbergii (?)
A year or more ago a friend lent me a compound microscope. I spent hours gazing at pond water collected in various locations, and I finally got one for myself. I’ve got a long way to go in learning how to get good photographs, but here’s a pair of eukaryotes in the genus Euglena – possibly Euglene ehrenbergii if iNaturalist’s computer vision is correct. I found them in some pond water taken from Trout Lake.
Until next time…