Interesting Specimens from Nature!: Moving at a Snail's Pace

Mushrooms, especially many of the edibles, are relatively scarce during this traditionally dry part of the early summer. Morel season has come and gone, and for now we must wait patiently for the mid-summer rains to usher in a new wave of mushrooms that include some of the most delicious edibles around. Perhaps this current week (June 24th-30th) will provide enough rain to bring forth chicken-of-the-woods (Laetiporus sulphureus), chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius), and black trumpets (Craterellus cornucopioides).

Nevertheless, the woods were not without their usual flurry of activity and growth. Regardless of whether one find what he or she is looking for, any foray into the woods is sure to promise some unexpected and highly interesting sights and sounds. On this particular walk I was lucky enough to observe a male Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) attempting to court a female in a wonderful dance of movement and singing taking place in the canopy of our rich deciduous forest.

The following are some of the more interesting sights from another well-spent day in the woods.

The roving eyes of a common land snail.

Only a week or two before black raspberries (Rubus occidentalis) come into season! If you've never tried a black raspberry, you should...they're absolutely delicious. The one pictured is not quite ripe, wait until they are a purplish black color before harvesting.

Purple-flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus) in full flower. This plant, also known as Thimbleberry, produces a delicious berry that falls apart too easily to make it commercially viable. The berries have a slightly acidic twang that balances out the sweetness and make this a fruit certainly worth finding. You can find this species along most forested roadsides and in mixed-wood forests and clearings.

The appearance of this (most likely) False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea) seems practically otherworldly.

Another probable False Turkey Tail, this species can range in color from brown, red, or orange, to buff and green. The False Turkey Tail lacks a pore surface and thus has a smooth underside, making this a "crust fungus" rather than a "polypore".

I noticed a number of these multiple trunked Red Oaks (Quercus rubra) along one section of the trail. After logging or fire events hardwood trees often send young shoots up from the original stump, as demonstrated above.

This is a highly interesting plant! Monotropa uniflora goes by multiple names, including Ghost Plant, Indian Pipe, and Corpse Plant. Unlike most plants on this planet, the Ghost Plant is white and does not contain chlorophyll. This means that it does not practice photosynthesis and thus does gather its energy directly from the sun. The Ghost Plant is parasitic, more specifically it is a myco-heterotroph. This means that the plant is associated with certain mycorrhizal fungi whose partnership with the root systems of trees means that the fungus, and by extension the Ghost Plant, harness their energy from their partner trees. Interesting and beautiful.