Mossy Mushroom

This is a picture I took of a decomposing log when I went hiking at Country Lane Woods last week. The green caught my eye right away. I didn't realize that despite the cool temps, moss can still thrive. I think these are a type of polypore mushrooms (growing off of wood) I don't know exactly which kind but I've seen them before. I've seen them many times before but they were brown. These mushrooms have green in them. Does it have to do with the moss? Are they taking on the color of the moss? Very strange. This is a question for supermushroom-man or woman! Unfortunately that's not me.

Very interesting web site on mushrooms: David Fischer's American Mushrooms

Very interesting posts on mushrooms: Winterwoman's A Passion for Nature

Go shrooming around!

Exploding Cattail

Ooooh how I love an exploded cattail! But then again, I also love a non exploding cattail too.
This first picture is a close up of some tails I found at Country Lane Woods. It is a typical scene near any body of wetland around. This time of year you will find the seed head to have "exploded" (my term, not a smart scientific term), they start to do this in late fall and continue through winter. What a neat plant it is and with so many uses, it's very functional to humans and wildlife alike.


Here is where they live, near water. I love to watch them sway in the wind, it's very tranquil. Who uses them? Let's learn about it.

Let's Learn About Cattail:

Where does it grow? Marshes, swamps, ditches, stagnant water, ponds, lakes...clusters around any wetland, all over the Northern Hemisphere.
How tall can it be? Very tall, can be 10 feet tall!
Other names for it? Bulrush, punks, duck tails, candlewicks.
Wildlife that use it? Muskrats, beavers and geese eat it. Red-wing black birds, bitterns, coots, marsh wrens, and many others nest in it. Many birds also use the fluffy material as lining for their nests.
Humans use it? Yes, root stems are edible and early leaves, but I wouldn't touch it unless you know what your doing and I don't. Baskets can be weaved out of the leaves, the Indians also use to dry it out and make a flour.

Don't worry, there's a scientific name for the cattail which I won't make anyone know. Let's just enjoy the cattail for what it is!

Afternoon Walk

Today I went back to Country Lane Woods to burn off some Christmas cookies. It was a perfect day for a hike, a mild temperature of 45 degrees and very little wind with a sunny sky.

To my surprise early on, I ran into a gentleman walking his horse. Now horses are not uncommon on this trail, but people are usually riding them. His horse was gently grazing on the side of the trail.


Meet Breezy. He is a 24 year old retiree. Too old to be ridden so his owner lovingly walks him everyday. I asked if I could pet him which the owner allowed, but was warned about the mud on Breezy's back from rolling around. Rolling around! That's what I'm going to do when I'm a retiree, too old to go to work but never too old to enjoy life rolling around!


This is Cranberry Slough. What's a slough? A slough is a muddy, marshy, swamplike region. There are many in this area. I had to walk just a little off the path to get a good picture. Cranberry Slough is surrounded by millions of oak trees. I kept walking around the oaks looking for owl droppings or a pellet. How neat it would have been to dissect a pellet. I will keep on wishing for one.

You can see the evening clouds have arrived. It is a peaceful picture of a peaceful afternoon. Much needed after the holiday stress. I know this is where I belong...far, far, far away from a mall with crowds of people. I belong with the trees.

Old Country Lane Road

This is the beautiful Old Country Lane at Country Lane Woods. This use to be a happenin' street back in the day! Now it serves as a really neat gravel trail, you can walk it or ride your horse for miles. Today it was about 45 and drizzly. Drizzle won't stop my fun, no sir.


Isn't this beautiful? This is a small pond right off the trail. It's hard to see but there are many exploding cattails. Good for the Chickadees, which I did hear in this area - no joke. Maybe tomorrow I'll try to zoom in on one of the cattails. When walking towards this pond I did hear activity by the edge. Perhaps it's warm enough for the frogs to still be out, I'm not sure.


Everyone needs a walkin' stick! We find a stick.... we use the stick.... we leave the stick! My grandpa always made sure the grandkids had a walkin' stick, everyone of us. I'm keeping the tradition going.

I hope you enjoyed this brief visit to Country Lane Woods.