Where is the gnome?

  The consistent rains that have pelted the Bayou this whole summer have brought out a continuous crop of mushrooms...not that I would ever "harvest" and eat any of these beauties.  I am just not that sure of my fungi identification skills.  I do, however, find them quite interesting and beautiful in their mushroomy way.  The assortment of fungi is extraordinary.  Never before have I seen so many different shapes, colors and sizes.

 My hikes about the hillside enables me to encounter all sorts of things. With mushrooms springing up like wildfire, I keep half expecting to either find some cute little gnome using one as a stool or some elves doing a funky dance in the midst of a ring of them.  There are so many legends connected with these fast growing-short lived fungi that it makes the head spin.  

  One word of caution, though, about these gorgeous forms of life...watch your pets.  While we should all have enough commonsense to avoid eating anything that we cannot positively identify, sometimes pets are a bit different.  Even if the critters do not mean to actually "eat" the mushroom, just grabbing it as a play-toy can do much damage. Some of the mushrooms can prove fatal to dogs, especially.  We had our share of scares with poor, old Ms. Ez when she was still with us. Countless nights were spent doctoring the old dog.  She could never leave well enough alone.  Watch those pets in this warm, rainy weather!