mushroom installation at its end

 

I took a little time yesterday to get out to the woods.  I was in need of some one on one time with mother nature and I was hoping there would be mushrooms up.  Sadly, the dry weather has left us without mushrooms for now, and it seems my mushroom installation has gone that way too.

The last time I looked, some little critter had pulled the mushroom out of the hole and dropped it at the base of the tree.  I expected to find it still there but it was nowhere to be found.  I can only guess that said creature hauled it away to line its nest for winter.

So thus ends my project.

You can see how it progressed by visiting these posts:

Starting here in October 2012

then here at the end of October

and 

then here in early December

and

again in snowy April 2013 

 

 

checking in on the mushroom installation

 

I went to check on my mushroom installation this morning, riding on a new blanket of snow.  Riding?  Yes, I was feeling a little lazy this morning and opted to take the snowmobile out to the woods instead of the snowshoes.  There will be time for quiet contemplative walks later but I have a lot to do this morning so the snowmobile it was.  Ah, the smell of 2-cycle...

 Anyway, the mushroom is still hanging in there in the tree.  The bit of snow stacked on its cap hides the fact that a good portion of it has been chewed off by some visiting critter.

 

The green wool has started to fade considerably but it doesn't appear that whatever was trying to burrow beneath it has done any more excavating, at least for the time being.

 Many of the gills are missing, as is the veil.

 

The wool is pulling off in places in long straggly locks.

 

You can see in this photo the transition from fall through winter.  It started off standing proud, then something started to nibble on its veil and cap a little, then it started to lean as something dug in its green moss, and finally to its snow-laden state.

I love watching this progress.

 

I just had a quick visit then headed back to the house, pausing a moment to watch the smoke rise from our chimney, and note that I needed to sweep off the solar panels, and and and...

 And to wish you all a peaceful weekend.

Have a good one, everybody!

You can see the progression of this piece 

Starting here

then here

and 

then here