It's the season

They are easy to ignore as mere blobs on the forest floor. 

But, my husband and I have begun to look for them, not as food, as many are doing this time of year, but to capture their variety and beauty 

amid the detritus, or on the trunk of a tree.

Mushrooms are varied, in size, colour, 

shape 

and preferred substrate, to name a few of their unique characteristics. All are fungi, decomposers who help break down organic matter. They are especially prominent on the forest floor late summer and early fall.

Foragers are busy these days in search of their favourite mushrooms. Not us, though some of the mushrooms we saw were edible, or so we thought. However, not being experienced mushroom hunters, we can’t be certain about the level of danger afforded by each type we encountered.

One of our friends, who has picked wild mushrooms said, “Keep a sample in your pocket of the type of mushroom you’ve eaten. That way, if you go to or are taken to an Emergency Room, staff will know what you’ve consumed.”

However, we won’t be eating wild mushrooms any time soon although there may be a few more photos in our future.

Comedy by the sea revisited

Every September we take in a comedy show at the village of Victoria by the Sea, Prince Edward Island. The little village does not change much from year to year. A new house on the corner, 

a new paint job for another house are among the changes this year. But, the village looked different because of our new vantage point.

This year, the tide was low, so we ventured along the beach 

and onto the exposed sand bars to see the village from what has been the sea on our previous visits. 

The red sea floor was covered with sea snails or periwinkles, seaweed and barnacles. 

Along the water, a yellowlegs foraged for lunch, while a flock of cormorants rested nearby.

Exposed sandstone looked like sand.

Looking to shore, the wharf, with its restaurant and gift shops appeared small in the distance. 

Later, on the way to the theatre, this colourful door caught our attention 

as did this plant stand.

It was the end of the theatre season for 2017.

Now the village will return to the quiet lifestyle the residents enjoy for the remainder of the year.

 

Exposed

...at low tide.

Fox Run and Ravine

On our recent trip to the Bonshaw Trails, my husband and I hiked the  Fox Run and Ravine branches from the upper portion of the main trail. We planned to focus on the trees this time. 

The leaves have begun to change colour but few have fallen to the ground. Your eyes are drawn upwards to the canopy, where the upper story is changing first.

 The dark green of aged leaves still creates a green glow at lower levels.

The trunks of many of the trees were unusual.

They provide homes for a variety of creatures 

and are a curiosity to hikers. 

The golden grand-dog, who accompanies us on these hikes, enjoyed time off-lead as we were the only people on the trail.

There were several other items which attracted our attention. On the Ravine Trail, there was an animal skull atop a stump. From on-line research, we determined it was a bovine rather than an equine skull. 

We always look for interesting shadows on the trails. This one looks staged.

At the beginning and end of the hike, we walked through a meadow of goldenrod, 

gone to seed now. 

This caterpillar of an American dagger moth walked across that path. It was our favourite photo of the day.

Hello!

The cormorant tree

We hear the swoosh of wing and air as they fly over the house in v formation on their way to and from the harbour. We see them in the distance, sat on the breakwater and the lighthouse, as we walk on the boardwalk by the bay in Summerside.

We see them flapping their wings to dry them as they rest along an inlet. 

However, we have never seen them this way.

Double crested cormorants are fishers with webbed feet. Our experiences with them have always been by the sea, so it was unusual to see them in a tree, 

with the webbed feet draped down over the branches.

This spruce tree was by the side of Stewart’s Pond on the Westmoreland River. It is part of a new nature park on the river which is in the Westmoreland Watershed. People and cormorants fish in the pond for rainbow and brook trout. 

My husband and I watched these pre-historic looking birds for a long time as they preened themselves on their lofty perches. 

The yellow-orange at the base off the beak is the only colour on these birds, whose necks and breasts are tinged with white. There is a natural fish hook at the end of the beak.

While we explored the park, the cormorants swooped into the water. We saw them through the trees, disappearing into the water to fish, surfacing a distance away. 

No catch and release for these fishers!

The lowest low

Tide that is! We had never seen the tide so low in the harbour in Summerside.

Sand bars galore were exposed as the sun heated us and the cool breeze made it bearable.

Two great blue herons waded in the water, fishing for brunch. 

As my husband and I watched, the birds dipped their heads into the water to snatch their food.

The rose hips are brilliant red and huge compared to those we’ve seen before.

A friend who makes rose hip wine would love these.

The geese are back now from their adventures further north.

                                                                                    Incoming

On September first every year they are overhead, honking as they go. They must mark the calendar with the departure date from their northern summer homes.

Gulls shared the beach with the geese. We watched as this young herring gull picked up mussel or clam shells from the sand and dropped them from a height.

Then it flew to the area and ate the contents. Isn't that a clever bird?

Further along the beach, the range light has a new paint job and looks well maintained before the stormy weather to come. 

We also met an Irish wolfhound named, Balan, and his owner. Balan is five years old and is waist high. His owner said, "He backs onto the couch where he planks his derriere while his four feet rest on the floor." 

Balan also sleeps on the bed with his owners. It must be king size!

It was another great day on the boardwalk!

North of zero

.