Look at these great mountain mushrooms! The recent rains have caused them to spring forth in their poisonous glory with their warning colors of red and orange and their odd little bumps signifying rough times ahead for those foolish enough to bite in.
Not all mushrooms are poisonous, though, as shown by all the nibble marks I found in the less alarmingly-colored ones. I caught a squirrel enjoying his (her? I didn't ask) mushroom feast, and I found pocket gopher teeth marks in another place. I have become determined to hike the woods as a naturalist and wildlife tracker, so I spend a lot of time looking for signs of animals. Evidence of chewing is quite fun to find, not in the least because I can cry out, "Nibbles!". I also look at foot prints and scat (not as gross as it sounds, really). I saw a lynx print once, which was pretty cool.
The white mushrooms in my fridge look tame and boring by comparison. I had a pizza in Boulder on Saturday that had some pretty good mushrooms on it (thanks, old roomie). I also like Portabella mushroom sandwiches.
2 comments:
I just wanted you to know I don't take the least bit of offense in you calling out my name during your hikes. I'm glad I can be of help in your search for our four-legged, hairy friends and their dining choices. Here's wishing for many more echoes of my name in the wilderness.
Is it just me, or does that last mushroom kind of look like Stanley Tucci?
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