This lovely tree trunk caught my eye in Myakka River State Park. So many different lichen, colliding is a wonderful expression of color. ❧
Image #285 -Lichen the tree
Images #284 – Cinnabar Cort
It is, I think, a Cinnabar Cort (Cortinarius cinnabarinus) mushroom. About 2″ in height, it was one of many in the woods at Myakka River State Park this week. About two years ago it was almost impossible to find mushrooms at Myakka. The feral pig population was decimating the population of mushrooms and other edibles. Their destructive pattern of routing through the soil for anything edible was causing great damage to the Park and at last the Park Service authorized a culling of pigs and the hunters did their work. The Park is infinitely healthier for their efforts.
The Cinnabar Cort is relatively common throughout Florida and I have seen numerous stands in many different places. From above it would be easy to overlook except for its rich deep color.
I had never done any macro work with this type of mushroom and was very pleased with the images. I will re-visit the Cinnabar again and promise to share. ❧
#283 – Fragrant Chanterelle
Faithful readers know of my love affair with fungi. In the summer of 2013, in the hills of North Carolina, there was a bounty of mushrooms, brought on by abundant rains and a rain forest environment. The colors and shapes captured my imagination and my camera captured their images.
Here in Florida we have mushrooms too, of course. Fungi exists everywhere, even in Antarctica where more than 20 varieties have been found. This particular variety is, I believe, a Fragrant Chanterelle (Craterellus odoratus). About 2″ in height, it was emerging in a cow pasture where there is LOTS of fertilizer for these artful creations of nature. ❧
Feeling Sluggish?
Happy New Year everyone!
Feeling a bit sluggish after the holiday fun? Well, you have nothing on this fellow. I found him in the middle of Wilderness Lane, an infrequently traveled road which gives this slug a better chance to reach the other side. It made me think of the many people emerging from the “holidaze,” just trying to reach the other side. Sending them, and everyone, best wishes for the new year. In the immortal words of John Lennon, “Let’s hope its a good one/Without any tears.” ❧
#279 – Florida’s Autumn
How many times have I heard someone say, “There just isn’t any seasonal change in Florida. I miss the changing colors of the trees.”? Perhaps this picture will convince the Florida “newbies” that there is an autumn in Florida but it comes later and is more subtle. It would be more dramatic if we hadn’t altered the landscape so severely, trying to make everything look like a New England cottage or a Midwest farm. These cypress trees are a good example. They are relatively young and were probably planted by the owners of the property. Cypress trees were once plentiful in the marshes and glades but man has chopped them down along with the ancient oaks that once populated the pastures. Florida isn’t for everyone but sometimes it seems as though everyone is here. ❧
#278 – South Dakota Badlands – Geologically Speaking
The term “badlands” is so visually descriptive one hardly needs to say much more but if you need an accurate definition our friends at Wikipedia offer this one, “They are characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation, lack of a substantial regolith, and high drainage density.[2]” That concise statement characterizes what you see in the picture. We were fortunate enough to visit the Badlands in early June. The searing sun and hot temperatures of summer had not yet eliminated the green vegetation and wild flowers of spring which seemed all the more beautiful when set against the backdrop of those rugged slopes. ❧
Image #277 – Badlands Landscape #1
My interest in the Badlands began in the early 1980s. I saw (and acquired) a print by the artist Greg Mortensen. It was a scene from the Badlands and I think this picture may be close to the spot where he conceived the idea. Mortense is a reduction woodcut artist. Here is an explanation from the Davidson Galleries website:
The reduction woodcut process uses the same block of wood over and over, unlike the traditional woodcut method that employs separate blocks for each color. The artist cuts and prints the woodblock in stages, printing a different color on the same sheet of paper after each cutting. As successive areas of the block are cut away (reduced, hence reduction woodcut), inked and printed, the image builds in subtlety and complexity. Dijkstra and Mortensen both make effective use of the process to express their respective landscapes.
The print I acquired was the first of three Mortensens I would eventually own and it is my favorite. It means even more to me now that I have seen the source of his inspiration. ❧
Image #276 – Badlands Bison
The year is nearly past and for me that means picture sorting. It can be a chore but it is also fun and it is best to be disciplined about these things, especially when you take as many pictures as I do. It was a good year all around but most memorable for me will be my journey to the Badlands in South Dakota. It was a trip I had dreamed of and it was as wonderful as I had imagined. I traveled to the Badlands with my good friend Mary Riddell. It was early June and the weather was, well it was picture perfect. I’ll be posting some pictures over the next few days because I am sorting them for a calendar.
The first picture is, obviously, an inhabitant of the Badlands. We often call them buffalo but this is actually an American Bison. It is only distantly related to the true buffalo. There are four extinct species of the bison, three from North America. The slaughter of this creature is legendary. On our travels through South Dakota we saw several healthy herds of bison but this big fellow was the closest we came to any of them. He was by the side of the road, using the wooden post to scratch an itch. It was June and he was probably shedding the last of his winter coat. He was as big as our Town & Country van which was a bit frightening. I carefully snapped photos and prayed he wouldn’t charge the car.
Be sure to click on the image so you can see it more clearly. His eye is so expressive to me, so much wisdom and strength. Imagine being able to be so close to such a magnificent creature! What a blessing.
He was clearly accustomed to humans and their cars and we did not seem to bother him in the least. I imagine him now with a new winter coat somewhere on those vast and very cold plains. What an extraordinary world we inhabit and how lucky I have been to see so much of it. ❧
Mourning
We came across this felled tree while hiking near Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. There are some people who could read the story of this tree’s life that is written in the now exposed rings. Years of drought, years of bounty, burrowing insects, perhaps some disease … it is all there for those who know the language. What I saw was a tree mourning its life, with tears of sap running down its woody flesh. ❧
Side-tracked in Florida
Hello faithful readers,
I’ve been away. My last entry, September 3rd, is almost two months old. I’ve been in Florida campaigning for Amendment 2, the medical cannabis initiative. In the past five weeks I’ve made about 15 appearances, written articles that appeared in The Sarasota Herald-Tribune and The Orlando Sentinel, and talked to a few reporters. Today I attended a previewing of a new documentary, Pot Luck. I have been immersed again in medical cannabis and it has been a good experience. For those who are unfamiliar with my medical cannabis activism I invite you to visit www.medicalmarijuanapioneer.com.
But I have missed my Alice’s WanderLand blog and today, after viewing the movie, I took some time to return to my cameras and visit the world around me. I’ve been so fortunate in my life and that good fortune has continued. I have a wonderful garret apartment over a garage and at my doorstep is 5+ acres of old Florida land. It is owned by my friend Mary and I am so grateful that she has extended our friendship into hospitality. I’ve always wanted to live in a garret. 🙂
Mary bought some bromeliads a couple weeks back and she recently noticed that some small frogs were inhabiting them. It was easy enough to find them and they were posers.
I think this one may actually be looking at an even smaller frog or perhaps a spider that it plans to eat for dinner.
I counted at least six frogs but there may have been more.
It is good to be back. ❧
Alice's WanderLand 