Gold!

 Our stretch of rainy weather seems to have brought out the best in Mother Nature.  Even though the torrential downpours and high winds have wreaked havoc on most of the "soft" flowers such as the azaleas, Mother Nature has brought forth color in other ways.  Mushrooms, lichens and mosses abound in the area around the Bayou.  These, I find more interesting than the flowers, in some ways.  Springtime is expected to be abundant in the brightly hued blooms but finding a fungus that has immense beauty is always a treasure.  

  The aforementioned winds have knocked down a good many tree branches.  These limbs are usually ones that have been damaged in one form or another.  I was thankful that one particularly large branch that fell in the lane missed (narrowly) Son's car.  The branch was a good eight inches in diameter and about five feet in length.  It could have done a bit of damage to his vehicle! Making impact on the ground, the limb broke in several sections making it easy just to toss out of the way. Being out for any length of time during a rainstorm is not pleasant especially if one is moving soggy tree limbs!   So the limb was shoved to the side of the lane with a promise to move it to the burn pile at a later time.

  This morning, I took advantage of the break in the weather and tromped about the place.  That tree limb caught my eye because suddenly it was a bright golden color!  Tree limbs are not gold!  They are dull and drab in color...especially rotten ones.  This called for an investigation.  Nearing the broken branch, I realized that my "pot of gold" was not left behind by some leprechaun but by Mother Nature, herself!  The entire branch was covered with really pretty mushrooms!  Oh, if I only was wise to the way of the world of fungi!  This batch of mushrooms was lovely!  

  One of the first thoughts that goes through my head when seeing a new mushroom is "I wonder if it is edible?"  With the weather like it is, we could be feasting upon delicacies if I only knew which were edible and which would kill me!  Even looking at pictures in books and on the computer leaves me with enough doubt that I have qualms about munching mushrooms in the wild.  I feel that it is best to leave that to the experts!  Still, I find them intriguing and love to photograph these lovelies.  Bring on the rain.....I can always find something to make the day brighter...even if it is a fungus!