Fungi, Lichen & Slime Molds 3

I've had problems transferring my photos from Flickr to ipernity this past week. They kept appearing in the wrong order, so I've just this minute caught up by uploading them from my computer - takes so much longer to do it this way, copying and pasting all the info. I fell behind and haven't been on ipernity - trying to cut back on computer use because of my painful shoulders, plus having to go to physiotherapy. Now the physio has changed to just one shoulder plus my back, as the intense pain in my back is stopping me going on my birding and botany walks. I guess all the pain is connected, which is really frustrating. My apologies especially to Art, as I have fallen behind with commenting on his beautiful images! Yesterday afternoon, 12 June 2014, I drove westwards to the mountains, along Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66) as far as Maclean Pond. I did a very slow walk, and was happy when I noticed these tiny mushrooms growing on a fallen, rotting log. The tallest one may have been an inch tall, so you can imagine how small the smallest one was. When I come across fungi that look like these, I'm never completely sure whether they are mushrooms or if they belong to a lichen that grows something very similar. If it is, in fact, a lichen (Lichenomphallia ericetorum), then the following information would apply: "Lichenomphallia is a genus of lichenized Basidomycetes or club fungi which has spores produced on club-shaped basidia. The lichen fungus resembles a mushroom and the algae are concentrated in special tissues or lobes at the base of the fruiting body. This plant is found in both books on Lichens and books on Mushrooms as Omphalina." Many thanks, Ken, for the ID confirmation - Lichenomphallia ericetorum. The previously posted image in a comment box below shows the lichen (Lichenomphallia ericetorum). I had hoped to find lots of wildflowers in bloom, but the main plant was the Dandelion, so it was obviously too early after our late spring. Also a very few Shootingstars, one Blue-eyed Grass in bloom, several Valerian flowers, several clusters of Mouse-eared Chickweed, and not much else. On the way home, I drove a few of the backroads SW of Calgary, where I photographed a pair of Mountain Bluebirds, a Snipe, a Tree Swallow, a Brewer's Blackbird, and a Black Tern that was perched on a fence post. Usually, when I see Terns, they are flying fast and my camera can't catch them. The forecast was for rain last night (which did arrive) and rain today, which is why I went for a drive yesterday. So far this morning, the sky is overcast and dreary and it looks like more rain is coming. Yesterday, while I was photographing the Bluebirds, there was a cold wind blowing and the temperature was only around 10°C.

This rather blurry macro shot is of one of several small mushrooms I came across at Maclean Pond, W of Calgary, along Elbow Falls Trail, Kananaskis. This mushroom was at an older stage and I just liked the dark rim and the pattern on the top. Taken on an afternoon drive on 12 June 2014. In Calgary, August is said to be the peak of the fungi season. The last two or three years have not been particularly good years as far as fungi go, but the ones that I did see were pretty special. Last year, of course, Alberta's Flood of the Century closed down city natural areas and parks and all of the mountain areas that we would normally go to. This year, our fungi "expert" has just broken his leg in an accident, so unfortunately we will be without his expertise and the two or three fungi forays he has led in the past.

A blur, I know, but it's not everyone (or me, before that day) who gets a photo of a Mosquito on a fungus : ) Taken on 12 June 2014, when I drove westwards towards the mountains. I wasn't sure how far along Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66) I would get, as I didn't leave till the afternoon. I ended up going to Maclean Pond, which isn't all that far past Bragg Creek. After taking a couple of photos of this, I realized I had been bitten on my finger, either by this Mosquito or one of its friends. This is a Lichen, not a mushroom. "Lichenomphallia is a genus of lichenized Basidomycetes or club fungi which has spores produced on club-shaped basidia. The lichen fungus resembles a mushroom and the algae are concentrated in special tissues or lobes at the base of the fruiting body. This plant is found in both books on Lichens and books on Mushrooms as Omphalina." I had hoped to find lots of wildflowers in bloom, but the main plant was the Dandelion, so it was obviously too early after our late spring. Also a very few Shootingstars, one Blue-eyed Grass in bloom, several Valerian flowers, several clusters of Mouse-eared Chickweed and one of Calypso Orchids, and not much else. On the way home, I drove a few of the backroads SW of Calgary, where I photographed a pair of Mountain Bluebirds, a Snipe, a Tree Swallow, a Brewer's Blackbird, and a Black Tern that was perched on a fence post. Usually, when I see Terns, they are flying fast and my camera can't catch them.

A photo from my archives, that I am finally posting. I spent 31 May 2013, with a small group of friends, doing the May Species Count for the Whaleback. This location is about 170 km south of Calgary, down towards Pincher Creek. The South Whaleback is near Maycroft, just N of Oldman River, about 5 kms W from #22. I'm adding photos taken on that trip to a Set of photos that, up till recently, contained images taken on the Small Whaleback on 10 July 2011. On 31 May 2013, we covered the southern end of the Whaleback. Actually, I'm not sure exactly which is the Whaleback and which is the South Whaleback - confusing. The whole area is made up of endless hills and the Rocky Mountains are in the distance, quite close in this very southern part of Alberta. It rained or drizzled all day, so I had to battle water spots on the camera lens as well as low light and wind. The yellow Balsamroot, which we don't get further north, closer to Calgary, was just beautiful. I'm not sure what the plant in this photo is, but it looked so pretty surrounded by bright orange Lichen - Xanthoria, probably elegans. It was a good day, great company, a few interesting finds and glorious scenery to thoroughly enjoy. "More commonly known as the Whaleback, the Bob Creek Wildland and its sister area the Black Creek Heritage Rangeland protects Whaleback Ridge and one of Alberta’s most important elk winter ranges. A montane environment of Douglas Fir and rough fescue grasses, this area in southwest Alberta has sweeping vistas of the Livingstone Range hanging over the western boundary and the Castle Mountains to the south." www.crownofthecontinent.net/content/the-whaleback/cotCA82...

On 12 June 2014, I drove westwards to the mountains, along Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66) as far as Maclean Pond. I did a very slow walk, and was very happy when I noticed these tiny mushrooms growing on a fallen, rotting log. They may have been something like an inch tall. When I come across fungi that look like these, I'm never completely sure whether they are mushrooms or if they belong to a lichen that grows something very similar. This time, I know it's a Lichen, thanks to Ken Dies' help. "Lichenomphallia is a genus of lichenized Basidomycetes or club fungi which has spores produced on club-shaped basidia. The lichen fungus resembles a mushroom and the algae are concentrated in special tissues or lobes at the base of the fruiting body. This plant is found in both books on Lichens and books on Mushrooms as Omphalina." I had hoped to find lots of wildflowers in bloom, but the main plant was the Dandelion, so it was obviously too early after our late spring. Also a very few Shootingstars, one Blue-eyed Grass in bloom, several Valerian flowers, several clusters of Mouse-eared Chickweed, and not much else. On the way home, I drove a few of the backroads SW of Calgary, where I photographed a pair of Mountain Bluebirds, a Snipe, a Tree Swallow, a Brewer's Blackbird, and a Black Tern that was perched on a fence post. Usually, when I see Terns, they are flying fast and my camera can't catch them.

On 12 June 2014, I drove westwards to the mountains, along Elbow Falls Trail (Highway 66) as far as Maclean Pond. I did a very slow walk, and was very happy when I noticed these tiny fungi growing on a fallen, rotting log. They may have been something like an inch tall. When I come across fungi that look like these, I'm never completely sure whether they are mushrooms or if they belong to a lichen that grows mushroom-like "things". This time, I know it's a Lichen, thanks to Ken Dies' help. I had intended cropping this image to square, but then decided to leave the original, as there are a few interesting things growing from the log, including mosses and Cladonia species. "Lichenomphallia is a genus of lichenized Basidomycetes or club fungi which has spores produced on club-shaped basidia. The lichen fungus resembles a mushroom and the algae are concentrated in special tissues or lobes at the base of the fruiting body. This plant is found in both books on Lichens and books on Mushrooms as Omphalina." I had hoped to find lots of wildflowers in bloom, but the main plant was the Dandelion, so it was obviously too early after our late spring. Also a very few Shootingstars, one Blue-eyed Grass in bloom, several Valerian flowers, several clusters of Mouse-eared Chickweed, and not much else. On the way home, I drove a few of the backroads SW of Calgary, where I photographed a pair of Mountain Bluebirds, a Snipe, a Tree Swallow, a Brewer's Blackbird, and a Black Tern that was perched on a fence post. Usually, when I see Terns, they are flying fast and my camera can't catch them.

Slime Molds are so difficult to see, often no more than a very small, coloured smear on a log, so I was very happy when I actually found this one when I spent a bit of time at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, SW of Calgary, on 4 August 2012. Needless to say, a macro shot. There were disappointingly few fungi that I found in the forest that day, compared to two and three years ago.