I cannot recommend Trail #2 at the Indiana Dunes State Park highly enough. It is an awesome trail with an incredible array of biodiversity. Last Friday I headed out expecting to see some new growth after a few days of warmer weather and rain. I was not disappointed. The fungi and lichens had responded very nicely to the early spring weather.
Enjoy some of my favorite images.
This fella seems to be growing upside down. The pores mark the underside of the fungi. It is unusual to get such an easy view of this side. Note that it was a cloudy afternoon so the illumination was very uniform which brings out the subtleties in the colors.
These bracket fungi are just emerging from the bark. As they grow they will flatten out and appear as an array of overlapping circles.
Another good example of the advantage of photographing under overcast skies. The earthy blues and greens on this log are absolutely stunning. On a bright sunny day the wonderful colors would be all washed out.
These yellowish brown ones are just weird looking.
From this angle the bracket fungi look sorta like balconies on a hi-rise apartment building in Chicago.
Notice the cluster of little fungi clustered near the center of the larger one. That is what caught my eye as I walked by.
This lovely patch of blue-green lichen is about 2′ long.
The white, almost cauliflower appearance of the cluster in the middle caught my eye.
Logs like this are a treasure trove of life. If you look close there is so much going on with all of the different types of fungi and the little critters which make them their home.
These shelf fungi have an almost toothy appearance.
Another vibrant and rich community covering a piece of decaying log.