a stone in a tree

A nearly-dead poplar by our driveway, and a stone that hadn't turned out quite right, met this week.

The woodpeckers have already been at work on this tree and no doubt it will fall in an upcoming wind, as poplars are wont to do.

I'm not so sure the carpenter ants were that thrilled with the art piece I offered them. (you can just barely see them on the left side, checking it out)

But there it is, until the wind or the saw decides otherwise.

checking in on the mushrooms in the tree

I took a few minutes to walk in the woods yesterday and check on the mushrooms I had planted in the tree. I hadn't checked on them since November so I expected a change but you know...not much has happened.

We've had so little snow this winter that it still looks like fall in the woods. Bitter cold we had plenty of, but very little snow. 

The only major difference I saw in the mushrooms was that they were leaning more, and the color had drained from the caps, a fact I find interesting since the caps were undyed wool to begin with. The green is still quite vibrant but the undyed grey has faded to almost nothing.

The little rock is still in there too. No one has been digging into this mushroom like they had with the first.

The transition, with yesterday's view at the top, November in the middle, and the October beginning at the bottom.

We'll see what spring brings.

mushroom gnawing

 

Yesterday's unseasonably warm weather lured me out to the woods to check on my wool mushroom installation.

 

It isn't hard to spot it in its perch now that the snow has melted

 

 

When I last checked on it, some little critter had been nibbling on the cap and veil.  Now, it seems those nibbles have turned to gnaws.  A good 1/3 of the cap has been pulled off, the veil is gone, and the stem juts out horizontally from the tree, indicating that it is being used as perch for said nibbler's gnawing.  (I'm guessing there's a pine squirrel with a very cozy den nearby)

 

I spotted a few tufts of wool and a gill in leaf litter below.

 

And I still think there may have been attempts to burrow into the wool-lined knot in the tree.  I thought about pulling it out to have a look but wanted neither to disturb the piece nor get some unknown nibbler jumping out onto my face, so I let it be.

 

Already the progression is interesting, from its fully in-tact autumn self to its snow-covered slightly nibbled look, to its now-gnawed posture against December greys.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

cozy mushroom day

 

We're getting our first real snowfall today.  Wet, sloppy snow is covering the ground and I figured it would be fun to see how my little wool mushroom is faring in the weather.

 

My helper and I headed out to the trail to see what we could see.

 

While not covered in snow, it did look a little shivery with droplets of water all over it.

 

And what is this?  Something has been tugging at it!  The veil and part of the cap have been pulled out.  Tufts of wool displaced.  What's more, a spot in the green "moss" has been displaced too and it looks as if something has burrowed underneath it into the cavity of the tree.

 

It makes me happy to think of some little wood mouse cozy in the wool beneath the mushroom.  I'll keep an eye on it to see if there are any other signs of life in the coming months.

 

Today I will be cozy in my own wool-walled home.  The fire is going, soup is in the pot, and the chores have already been done and I'm looking forward to needling some more mushrooms.

I hope you have a cozy day too.

wordless Wednesday