Mount Douglas Park 4

Here's another kind of mushroom I encountered on my recent visit to Mount Douglas Park. These ones appear to be a favorite meal for slugs.

Mount Douglas Park 3

Well, forest trails and autumn leaves are fine but what I really went out to Mount Douglas Park for was to see if any mushrooms were up yet. Above is the first one I saw. We've had a couple of days of rain lately so I expect that next time I'm out in the forest I'll see a good selection of these autumn delights.

Mount Douglas Park 2

Mount Douglas Park has a splendid grove of enormous Bigleaf Maple trees. At this time of year they provide this perfect autumn carpet.

Mount Douglas Park

It was a bright, windy autumn day today so I thought it might be a good day to visit Mount Douglas Park and take a walk through the forest. As usual, it was inspiring, awe inspiring. We are very lucky to have such forest giants within easy reach of the downtown core.

Spring in the Woods

The meadows of Fawn Lilies in Beacon Hill Park are lovely but those on the wooded slopes of Mount Douglas Park are even more special.

Mount Douglas Mushrooms

Friday Fungi

Here's another fungus from Mount Douglas Park. I have been unable to identify this so far but my personal name for it is the Bean Sprout Fungus because it looks a little like those bean sprouts we find in Chinese cookery.

Populations

Although mushrooming in the forest is generally very peaceful, there are surprises. I was despairing yesterday of seeing any really large mushrooms when I suddenly spotted the one pictured above. It was all by itself and I have never seen another like it. Whereas, when I stumbled on those pictured below it was like discovering a small city. Their camouflage coloring matches the ground cover so perfectly I nearly stepped right in the middle of them before I realized what they were.

Fungi

I'm just back from Mount Douglas Park and here's some of the mushrooms I encountered. The season is well underway now and I counted about 10 different kinds in a short walk.

Little Brown Mushrooms

Mushroom season has just begun but before I get too far afield with the exotic varieties, here's a photo of the common folk, the little brown mushrooms that are all over the place at this time of year. There are probably many species, all looking pretty much the same except to experts. But I like them, standing up so bravely despite their minute size and the surrounding forest full of giant trees. These were photographed in Mount Douglas Park, which is due for a revisit - at this time of year mushrooms pop out of the ground overnight.

Mount Douglas Maples

One of the reasons I like to visit Mount Douglas Park at this time of year is that the lower part of the park has some of the biggest Bigleaf Maples in the area and they always provide a fine and photogenic carpet of newly fallen leaves.

Mount Douglas Beach

Mount Douglas Park the only park I can think of that includes both a mountain and an ocean beach within its borders. This is part of the beach, looking northeast. The park's trees are such a mix of evergreen and deciduous that although autumn is well advanced now, the foliage still looks quite green.

Mushrooms 2

During mushroom season in the fall a casual walk in Mount Douglas Park will usually yield a dozen different kinds of mushroom. Yesterday I only saw two - above is the second kind - these distinguished gray fungi I nearly missed in the forest floor leaf litter.

Mushrooms!

I went out to Mount Douglas Park today to take a specific photo down on the beach. Afterwards I decided to check some of the best mushroom spots to see if our recent rains have brought any to the surface. It's a bit early for them but I was pleased to see these little orange ones. I love mushroom season. They are so photogenic.

Mt. Doug Park

Yesterday morning we took a stroll along this stretch of beach and with the pale blush of new leaves among the trees leading to Cormorant Point, it was quite lovely. This beach is interesting too because the hillside is loaded with clay which is exposed to the air but doesn't ever appear to dry out. Maybe because of the moisture in the hillside itself? It is always fun to grab a handful and squish it around. - Fern

Mushroom Bouquet

Here's another from our recent mushrooming trip to Mount Douglas. I like these bright warm colors now when the skies are so often gray.

Toothed Jelly Fungus

Here's another of this year's crop of fungi, one of my favorites, the Toothed Jelly Fungus (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum). These look good enough to eat and you can, though they are reputed to be very bland. I love them because they always seem to be lighted from within.

Fluted Black Elfin Saddle

On our most recent excursion to Mount Douglas Park I was happy to see a few of these weird little mushrooms with the fanciful name of Fluted Black Elfin Saddles. They really look like the perfect food for all those zombies we've been seeing lately and I understand they are probably edible despite being a little bit poisonous.

Mushrooming Part 2

Benjamin and I were discussing our recent outing to Mount Doug Park and how it is that we can go out together to the same place with very similar equipment and yet our photos are very, very different. It's an interesting meditation on the creative process. He would say this for more eloquently as well. I enjoy his perspective as much as my own so I feel it's a win-win situation. Happy Birthday Dad, thanks for taking me out on so many great adventures. xo Fern

Mushrooming

It's been a couple of weeks since I last checked this year's mushroom crop so Fern and I went out to Mount Douglas Park for a few hours on Wednesday to see what has popped up out of the ground. The Coral Fungi pictured above is one of the beauties we found.