Monday in Nature October 3, 2016

<blockquote>

<p><strong>Basic Guidelines</strong>: Nature based subject matter. Please, declare captive subjects. Keep your image at/under 700 pixels on the long axis for in-line viewing and try to keep file size under 300kb. Note that this includes photos hosted off-site at Flicker, Photobucket, your own site, etc. Feel free to link your image to a larger version. <strong><em>In the strictest sense, nature photography should not include hand of man elements. Please refrain from images with obvious buildings or large man made structures like roads, fences, walls. Minimize man made features and keep the focus on nature. </em></strong><br>

<strong><em> </em></strong><br>

<strong><em>Are you new to this thread? We post one image per week. For more details on guidelines<a href="/nature-photography-forum/00cgtY"> please read this</a> helpful information. </em></strong></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Good Morning,<br>

Seasonal changes are out there and will surely catch our attention. It's always an exciting time for nature photographers. These fern details will turn deep chocolatey brown. For now they are one of natures abstracts. What kind of changes do you see on this Monday in Nature?</p><div></div>

<p>One of the first Falll days this year: Crawford Notch State Park, NH</p><div></div>

<p>I found this hummingbird in Fredericksburg, Texas.</p><div></div>

<p>Seasons - driven by the sun. I was at this spot on the Isle of Eigg in June, and the sun set much further south than in this picture from last week.</p><div></div>

<p>One of my favourite changes, at this time of year, is the proliferation of fungi popping up along the trails which I hike. Every day there is something new to be discovered. I found these mushrooms on the side of a trail while hiking back to a fishing hole this past weekend.<br>

Abortive Entoloma ( Entoloma abortivum) showing both normal and aborted specimens along with the Honey mushroom (Amillariella mellea) which are now believe to be parasitized by the Entoloma. Originally the opposite arrangement was considered true, with the Enteloma being considered the host species. Around the base of this beech tree I found both aborted and regular specimens with several clumps of honey mushrooms interspersed. The aborted specimens are edible. The common name for these mushrooms is 'pig's snout' which sounds only marginally more appetizing than Abortive Entoloma. If cooked properly they are quite tasty.</p><div></div>

<p>Gordon, wonderful image and great explanation of the relationship between these fungi. I first heard about this at a lecture and we all sat in amazement, saying "really?......REALLY? Thanks for this one. ;-)</p>

<p>Also being one of those days ... sigh</p><div></div>

<p>Laura, I had seen some aborted entoloma in past seasons, they were usually small and scattered with no normal mushrooms in evidence. This colony was huge, fully circling the trunk of a dead beech tree. I spent more than an hour shooting this one stump and ended up going back home and coming out the next day with a 10mm lens to get the entire colony in one frame.</p>

<p>Arctic wolf.<br /><img src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jfCY5TegSBY/V_JYGwMn8JI/AAAAAAAABlY/owb445dk5lYxKYeV_knaBYIm5xpDnu-RgCLcB/s1600/Arctic%2Bwolf.jpg" alt="" width="1000" height="788" /></p>

<p><strong>Prairie Grass, Bucks & Rocky Mountains</strong></p>

<p><a title="Bucks & Mountains, What More Could You Want?" href=" data-flickr-embed="true"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8139/29934808722_843edd7146_c.jpg" alt="Bucks & Mountains, What More Could You Want?" width="800" height="534" /></a></p>

<p>Here's one from winter a couple of years ago.</p><div></div>

<p>The Hummingbirds were still around last week feeding on this Salvia.</p><div></div>

<p>Hydrangeas in transition</p><div></div>

<p>I was visiting the zoo while it was raining. This heron was unmoved by the weather.<br /> To explain the (C ?) in the caption: the heron was standing in the penguin enclosure, so I am not sure if it was captive or if the heron was just the opportunist bird enjoying the food offered to the penguins.</p><div></div>

<p>American white pelican</p><div></div>

<p>It rained most of the weekend but during a lull I was able to go out and take some shots. Here's one of rain drops on a flower.</p>

<center><img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/18293152-md.jpg" alt="_E6A9177" width="680" height="453" border="0" /></center>

 

<p>Floating Beech leaves.</p><div></div>

<p>Common yellowthroat (male) foraging for insects among the changing leaves.</p><div></div>

<p>I have been watching this spider for a few days. It retreats during the day and comes out in the evening.</p><div></div>

<p>A Greater Fringed Gentian growing along some wet areas on the coast of Lake Erie. Unfortunately, the hillside faces north and doesn't get a lot of sunshine, leaving most of the gentians closed up tight, even at mid-day. There are some areas that do get more sun, but erosion is starting to take its toll on the vegetation.</p><div></div>

<p>Unknown hummingbird (identification appreciated).</p><div></div>

Bill Todd, where did you capture that hummingbird image?

<p>I've always liked mushrooms, and long ago took a fair amount of time learning to identify them, most of which I've now forgotten. But I was always a bit of a wimp when it came to eating them. I'd look at something and think it's about 99 and a half percent likely to be a deliciously edible one but what about that last half percent? So lots of puffballs and polyporus and shaggy manes and morels, but a little leery of gills.</p>

<p>But here's one of a huge number spotted at Colt park in Bristol, Rhode Island today. Traveling and not with a pan, so no risk of finding that half percent was fatal. But I bet those really are <em>agaricus campestris</em>, or whatever else they call them nowadays, and I bet they really would be yummy!</p><div></div>

<p><img src="/photo/18290854" alt="" />Sign of the times. Candiac Quebec.</p><div></div>

<p>Lady bug meets aphids - fateful moment?</p><div></div>