Category: Fungi & Lichen

First Snow Day of 2022

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January second saw a few inches of snow and temperatures in the low 20’s.  A great day to go out to Cowles Bog.  I love that period shortly after a wet snow when all the tree branches and tall grasses are still covered.

Perhaps not the first image one would expect out of a hike in a National Park. But it fascinates me how this steel mill sits literally in the middle of the park, the contrast between heavy industry and nature is so strongly illustrated in this area. I pass by this scene on my way to 2/3 of the trails in the park. When the weather is cold the steam from the stacks is most impressive. What you cannot really make out in this pic is the exhaust for one of the big furnaces which emits a massive amount of steam about every 20 minutes or so. I just missed it this time…

The criss crossing patterns of the reeds and tall grasses of the marsh provide support for the freshly fallen snow.

When out hiking there is a strong tendency to always be looking ahead and to the side. Every now and then it pays to simply look straight up. One of the things I am learning as a photographer is to stay conscious of stopping to look up and back to where I have come from.

It does not take much color to stand out in the otherwise nearly monochrome scenery. This early in winter many of the trees still have enough leaves to make a visual impact.

Tracks in the snow show that I was not the only person out that day. But notice how the snow still clings to the branches which crowd the trail at this point. Not so many so many people have passed this way, otherwise most of this snow would have been dislodged.

Winter wonderland. I love how the the snow highlights the intricate patterns of the intertwining branches in the forrest.

Through a small gap in the branches you can glimpse some of the buildings in the steel mill which was the subject of the first picture in this post. This trail parallels the mill.

Leaves are ever fascinating.

This is the root system of a tree at the edge of the marsh which blew over sometime ago. Looks sorta like a bad toupee which has flipped up in the wind.

Top, middle and bottom. Three bands representing different colors and textures.

End of the day, about to head back home.

Dead Wood In Late December After A Rainy Day

Posted on by MC2 · 4 Comments

When you spend a lot of time looking at fungi and lichens you are also looking at a lot of dead and decaying wood.  Independent of the organisms growing on and within it, the wood itself presents a beautiful array of patterns and colors.

It was a very foggy morning after a night of steady rain. When I arrived at the park the fog was already starting to lift, but this is what it looked like at the start of my hike. This time of year you do not see too many other people out on the trails and the experience is very calm, quiet and peaceful.

This is part of what was once the trunk of a large tree which had fallen years ago. It has been subjected to fire, but the shallow extent of the burnt wood makes me believe that it was part of a controlled burn done in the area at some point. In addition to the rich red coloring, notice how the wood splits and fragments along very linear lines, at places appearing almost like brick work.

Look closely at the recently exposed patch of fresh wood and you can see the fungus beginning to take hold.

This is the heavily decayed remains of a tree stump in the ground. The viewpoint looking up from the base of the stump adds a dramatic element to the image.

The bark of this healthy tree was a uniform rust color all around. The dampness really enhanced the visual impact of the green growth atop the reddish wood. Note that the colors in these images are not enhanced in anyway, they are true to how they appeared in the field on that day.

I don’t know what caused a hunk of bark to detach from the side of this tree, but I think that the white stuff is a form of fungi.

This is one of my favorite images from the day. The subtle blues, greens and yellows atop the radial spokes and rings of the wood are fascinating. Again, these colors are true and have not been enhanced.

This is what the woods alongside the swamp looked like about an hour after I arrived. Most of the fog has burned off at this point.

Intense greens and yellows on this tree trunk rising from the amber bed of fallen leaves.

The lines and cracks in the burnt wood lead the eye outward from the center.

I love how the patterns of the cracks in the wood appear through the growth of the lichen atop it.

Ok, this is neither wood nor lichen. But felt that the centipede deserved a place in the days images.