"Blooming" Mushroom!

  A few days ago, the little Grand Princess, Mary Ruth and I headed back to the woods to explore and take a few photos.  We found all sorts of interesting "natures" as she called them.  Lichens, mosses, ferns, palmettos and mushrooms were examined and photographed.  The tiny tot did an amazing job with her pictures and I was able to give her pointers on lighting and angles.  

  One mushroom seemed to be her favorite.  A bright red thing about the size of a golf ball intrigued her and filled her with dozens of questions.  I tried to answer each but some were beyond my knowledge.  Mycology is not a strong point with me even though I love looking at the things.  I could not even tell her if it was edible or poisonous.  A warning was given to never, ever touch mushrooms in the wild.   Better to be safe than sorry.

Mary Ruth's photograph of a red mushroom.

The same mushroom a few days later.  From a distance, it looked like a large flower.

  Sometimes things are not what they seem to be. This afternoon, Mark and I took the same path where Mary Ruth and I had seen the red mushroom.  As we neared the spot, I was surprised to see a beautiful red "flower" in the exact spot.  Excitedly, I picked up the pace.  I was fully surprised to find that my flower was none other than the same mushroom.  Instead of being a tight knot, the mushroom had "bloomed" into a rather large, funnel-shaped mushroom complete with a yellow center.  It was gorgeous!  It would have been nice had this mushroom decided to change before Mary Ruth had to go back to the island.  She would have been just as fascinated as I am with this "blooming" mushroom.  Goodness, I miss that little girl and her billion questions.