Fall is the season of Death and Decay, and it is a beautiful thing. Not just because it sets the stage for rebirth in spring, but simply on its own merits.
This scene is chock full of death and decay. The fallen leaves in various stages of decomposition, the underlying mulch and the end stages of the mushroom which just recently bloomed and released its spores. Any yet it is stunningly beautiful, the subtle colors glistening from the recent rain, and the arrangement of the leaves.
Here we find mushrooms both young and old, side by side.
A delicate sponge like lichen thrives on the trunk of a recently fallen tree.
The trunks of dead trees can indeed support a rich variety of lichens. One can spend hours gazing at all of the different things going on in this scene.
Click on the image and bring up a full size view to really see the incredible amount of detail present on this short length of log.
Fresh, white and spiny describes this puffball mushroom.
These three little shrooms are less than an inch across all together, yet the beautiful yellow to green transitions easily catch the eye. When walking through the woods just keep scanning the ground all around you and soon you cannot help but notice little gems like these.
