My first post

Today we took the trail by Oz Pizza down to the Cap Chur Creek Trail.  It was 8:45 in the morning cool but very high humidity.  The bugs and spider webs are still pretty bad. We went down Cap Chur Creek Trail and then up the gravel road, veered off into the woods a bit and then back to the gravel road. Can't wait for the humidity to decrease.

My first mushroom sighting of the day.  An Amanita Muscaria.

Amanita Muscaria var guessowii

These mushrooms are from the Agaric family. According to Wikipedia, Agarics are a type of fungal fruiting body characterized by the presence of a cap that is clearly separated from the stalk with gills on the underside of the cap.  You can see that in the photo above.  Amanita Muscaria mushrooms are both poisonous and psychoactive.   The red amanita's are the more classic popular image for the psychoactive mushroom. The red ones do not fruit here in the south.

Further down the Cap Chur Creek Trail I spotted a jack in the pulpit seedpod. This is the fruit of the plant, Arisaema Triphyllum.  In late summer, early fall they turn from bright green to red.  They really stand out in the woods so I have been spotting them a lot over the last couple weeks.

A green one

Turning Red

Almost Fully Red

Next another Amanita, this time a "blusher" or Amanita Rubescens. Known for its reddish-brown cap.

Amanita Rubenscens

Off on the Horseshoe Trail  I spotted some coral fungi. Pic's a little dark.

Back on the Gravel Road off in the woods, a pretty yellow chanterelle.  Not seeing a lot of these lately.  In July they were everywhere on Cap Chur trail. They are evidently edible and quite delicious.  One day I may actually try to harvest and cook some of these.

And lastly along the gravel road I snapped a picture of this Blue-Spotted Purple Brush Footed Butterfly.  My previous pictures of this butterfly were taken when they were perched on the gravel road.  They photograph much differently at eye level on leaves instead on the ground against the bright white gravel.

Limentis Arthemis