Pictures for Pam, Day 37: Micro-Mushrooms

What an incredibly magical morning it was. Pumpkin and I peeked outside first thing today and found a world cloaked in mist. Fog had filled the valley and wafted up the hills; only the closest trees in our meadow and lower forest could be seen, slipping in and out of view.

My walk was wonderful too. As I did my laps I relished the appearance of the forest and meadows shrouded in fog. At one point I noticed movement down by our gate and looked to see several mule deer trotting off into the mist, their tails held up like white flags. Later I heard the cry of a Redtail hawk and turned to watch it materialize and land in a tall pine tree. I stood and watched for the moment it perched there, repeating its calls several times before alighting and flying in a long circle and then away, its cries fading into the distance.

At one point I walked off the road and over to an Oak tree. Taking off my glasses, I peered at its moss and lichen-encrusted bark so close that my nose nearly touched the tree. I call this "nose-close" and this is where my horrible nearsightedness pays off. I have what I like to call "micro-vision" because I'm able to see things extremely well if they are very close.

Staring at the tiny world in front of me I appreciated the Seussian beauty of the bright green moss tufts. I marveled at the myriad shapes and types of lichen and then..."Ah, there you are!" I'd found what I was looking for! Peering at me shyly from between the cracks in the Oak tree's bark was an incredibly tiny mushroom. We're talking about 1/16"(1.59mm) here. I smiled warmly at the little woodland fairy and soon I found others nearby, some a little larger, others not bigger than the letter "o" in this sentence. These mushrooms are so very small that it's no wonder I'd missed seeing them until just a few years ago. I whispered that I'd be back and slipped quietly away.

This afternoon I returned with my camera and macro flash. I spent an hour exploring the tiny worlds I found on each tree and on branches that had fallen to the ground. So many surprises awaited me! It was such fun. In the end I got many wonderful pictures that I hope to share with you as time permits.

Today's photo shows one of the "micro-mushrooms" that posed so nicely for me and behind it you'll see a pair of others faded into bokeh. I hope you like this glimpse of the magical lands and its little fairies that I photographed today!

Pam, I took you with me on my photo outing today and I pictured you staring at the bark and branches, finding treasures of your own. How fun it would be to run over to see each other's finds and figure out how best to get a picture that showed what we loved about the subject. It will be fun to see your pictures again my dear! For now, this little fairy mushroom is waving hello to you!

Explored on 12/16/18, highest placement, #2.