Nature Notes: August ending

Hard to believe that summer is almost over. The fern below has been growing in the foundation of my house for years but it never fails to surprise me when I look at it.

This week I could have done a whole nature notes post on toadstools and mushrooms.

Now that the weather is cooling down, the abundance of rain is a haven for fungi of all sorts.

I wish I could trust my identification of the mushroom above because it looks a lot like a chanterelle which would be a treat.

I would never trust a red toadstool although something took a bite out of the one below.

I find mushrooms very beautiful and I love to eat the ones I buy but am too fearful to gather them wild.

I know some people are good at identifying them but not me.

I love to watch water running over rocks in the stream.

I was surprised to see a new group of chicks at the lake.

It seems late in the season for new babies.

There were 6 of the lighter colored chicks and 2 of the darker ones.

I was looking for snakes near the creek because a neighbor warned me about them. I wanted to spot one to photograph but no such luck.

I don't know what the wildflowers below are but I think they're pretty.

I don't know if the duck below has a fish in its mouth or if it's a part of her beak.

I think the duck below might be the baby chicks mother but I wasn't sure. There were lots of ducks around but none were clearly the parent. The one below walked around with them before hopping up on the log.

The mallards below were on a protected part of the lake near where the creek feeds into it. That's usually where I see offspring with parents but the late babies were near the bridge where I usually only see adults.

It amuses me the way the ducks tend to line up on driftwood.

The Canadian Geese were mostly in the grasses where I usually see them in the spring and winter but not as often in the summer. In the spring I sometimes spot them leading the young around in the grass.

The mallards were swimming away from me after I unintentionally go too near to where they were fishing.

More toadstools brightening up the environment.

Below is another mushroom that tempted me as it looked edible unlike the ones above that look poisonous to me.

A great blue heron was keeping an eye on the lake.

 Click for the home of nature notes.