mastodon 4.7.3Walking the woods and brooks of western Massachusetts.
Environmental Educator for 18 years. Taught mycology workshops and researched nesting bird and salamander populations.
Most photos taken the week of posting.
Pippin story #20. She is very missed.
Age: 15
There were many things that Pippin didn’t like.
When Moonshine, her little “sister,” used to do, well, anything. Existing was frowned upon.
The kingfisher that squawked as it hunted over the brook, only 50 feet from where Pippin looked on disapprovingly.
Vegetables
At the top of the list was the automatic feeder. It meant we were leaving for the night (without her! 🙀) and that was wholly unacceptable. Improper.
You’d think with all the wildlife I have at my house, Red Efts would be a common occurrence. They aren’t. I have yet to see one (and let’s face it, they aren’t hard to see 😅) here at the house or in the neighboring forests for miles.
I was several towns away when I finally came across this one. (You can tell it was happy for the photo op as it just sat there as they’re prone to do.)
I order my firewood early every spring for 3 reasons:
To avoid the heat of summer.
To stack before the snakes take refuge in the wood.
To finish before the phoebes return to the spot they’ve been in for 7 years.
I was unable to get my delivery until now. My biggest fear is not the sun or the snakes, but upsetting the babies in the nest. The female will chide me with the sweetest cheeps. Upon hearing her banshee like scream I pretend I’m terrified and run away.
This pleases her. 🤭
Russulas are a genus of fungi that comes in cool colors. ID characteristics include:
Usually 2-4 inches high with a circular cap that’s one color. In this case, purple.
Most have white/cream gills. Stems are usually white, perhaps with a flush of color similar to the cap.
3/4. The color of many can be peeled to expose white flesh. I’ve been to craft fairs where artists have made dyes from them.
IDing down to the species is much more difficult. 🔬
Round 2 of “Porcupine vs Small Tree” seems to have ended in a draw.
I grew up in a small, coastal, Maine town. And sometimes I still see things through that lens.
For a second, I thought these were barnacles. 😅
Pear-shaped Puffballs
[Lycoperdon pyriforme]
Pippin story #11. She is very missed.
Age 7
Pippin and Moonshine (age 2) weren’t the best of friends, but they did enjoy watching the neighborhood cat, Whisper.
Whisper was an outdoor cat who wore a bell. He (thankfully) couldn’t hunt. He’d kind of point himself toward a bird, galumph a few steps then collapse to the ground and lick his paws.
P&M would watch this strange behavior for as long as they could. Then the 3 of them would palaver through the glass door.
Chipping Sparrows always look like they’re navigating a jungle when making their way through grass. 🤭
This one did so with chippy attitude.