I have always loved fall, but since moving here I have a new reason to look forward to the season....mushrooms! I have never lived anywhere that had such a large variety of these little fungi growing, in fact most places I would have been hard pressed to find even one of them around. Now I look forward every year to taking a walk around our yard and cul de sac with the kids checking out all the different kinds that are growing here.
The first place we looked was the backyard, and it was a mushroom bonanza out there! The biggest crop was growing in a zig zagging line from the grass to the dirt area under the big fir tree:
At first glance, it looked like just one type, but upon closer inspection we found quite a few different kinds growing. I love when mushrooms come up in big clusters, like little communities:
As we got further under the tree, we found 2 more types of mushrooms growing - that's 4 different species growing within a 10X10 foot space!
I loved this little one cozying up to the big one:
As we ventured closer to the back of the house, we were rewarded by finding these giant mushrooms:
And these ones, which look suspiciously similar to dog poop!
As we traipsed back through the grass towards the front yard, we were surprised to find even more mushrooms, all of them different than anything we had already seen. There were these funny looking round ones:
We also found these delicate looking mushrooms, from a distance, they were difficult to distinguish from the leaves that scattered the yard:
They were very pretty up close:
Having found all we could in the backyard, we headed out to take a look around the cul de sac. Every year on one of the islands these beautiful little toadstools grow. They are easily my favorites, I just love the bright colors and the white spots!
A trip to the mailbox area gave us the last two mushrooms we would find; teeny little yellow ones, and big slimy brown ones:
So all total, within the few acres that make up our little cul de sac, we found a whopping 11 different types of mushrooms growing! And that is just in our yard and the common areas, I have no idea how many others could be lurking in the yards of my neighbors. Its so interesting to see the many different shapes, colors and textures that the mushrooms take on, and that's probably what keeps our annual hunt so exciting - we never know what we are going to find. I hope we find some new ones to add to the list on next years mushroom walk!
The first place we looked was the backyard, and it was a mushroom bonanza out there! The biggest crop was growing in a zig zagging line from the grass to the dirt area under the big fir tree:
At first glance, it looked like just one type, but upon closer inspection we found quite a few different kinds growing. I love when mushrooms come up in big clusters, like little communities:
As we got further under the tree, we found 2 more types of mushrooms growing - that's 4 different species growing within a 10X10 foot space!
I loved this little one cozying up to the big one:
As we ventured closer to the back of the house, we were rewarded by finding these giant mushrooms:
And these ones, which look suspiciously similar to dog poop!
As we traipsed back through the grass towards the front yard, we were surprised to find even more mushrooms, all of them different than anything we had already seen. There were these funny looking round ones:
We also found these delicate looking mushrooms, from a distance, they were difficult to distinguish from the leaves that scattered the yard:
They were very pretty up close:
Having found all we could in the backyard, we headed out to take a look around the cul de sac. Every year on one of the islands these beautiful little toadstools grow. They are easily my favorites, I just love the bright colors and the white spots!
A trip to the mailbox area gave us the last two mushrooms we would find; teeny little yellow ones, and big slimy brown ones:
So all total, within the few acres that make up our little cul de sac, we found a whopping 11 different types of mushrooms growing! And that is just in our yard and the common areas, I have no idea how many others could be lurking in the yards of my neighbors. Its so interesting to see the many different shapes, colors and textures that the mushrooms take on, and that's probably what keeps our annual hunt so exciting - we never know what we are going to find. I hope we find some new ones to add to the list on next years mushroom walk!