I saw a beech leaf with a bright white crust that I can’t identify on it. It was thin enough to seem part of the leaf and I’ve never seen anything like it.
After two years of seeing hardly any turkey tail fungi (Trametes versicolor) this year I’m seeing them everywhere, and in some beautiful colors too. Over the last two years virtually every one I’ve seen has been in shades of brown but this year blue and purple seem to be the most abundant colors. This bracket fungus gets its common name from the way it resembles a turkey’s tail. According to the American Cancer Society there is some scientific evidence that substances derived from turkey tail fungi may be useful against cancer.
Some of the turkey tails appearing this year have been wearing a deep beautiful blue that I’ve never seen them wear before. Their fuzzy surface makes them look as if they’ve been cut from blue velvet cloth.
These examples in blue, orange, tan, brown and even touches of salmon pink have to be the most colorful and beautiful examples of turkey tails that I’ve seen. Who can say that there isn’t any color to be seen at this time of year?
Though a polypore will rarely have gills most, including turkey tails, have pores like those seen in the above photo. These pores form tubes and their sides are covered with a spore forming surface called the hymenium. The tubes protect developing spores and help increase the spore producing surface. The size and shape of pores can vary a lot between species and some are small enough so they can’t be seen with the naked eye. Those shown in the photo were challenging but after several tries I was able to get a passable photo of them.
Not all polypore pores look alike though. Some appear stretched and elongated and maze like as the examples in this photo show.
The maze like surface shown in the previous photo belongs to another polypore called the thin maze flat polypore (Daedaleopsis confragosa.) Though its upper surface is zoned like a turkey tail the zones tend to be tan to brown to cream, rather than brightly colored like a turkey tail. Michael Kuo of Mushroom Expert. com says that this mushroom’s appearance is highly variable, with pores sometimes appearing elongated and sometimes more round. The lower pore bearing surface will also sometimes bruise a reddish color and other times won’t. Once you get used to seeing and identifying turkey tails though, you’ll never confuse this one for one of them.
Velvet shank mushrooms (Flammulina velutipes) are considered a winter mushroom and are very cold hardy. They grow on standing trees and cause white rot and I find them quite often growing on American elm (Ulmus americana) as they were in this photo, sometimes dusted with snow. The orange caps of these mushrooms often shade to brown in the center. The stem is covered in fine downy hairs and that’s where this mushroom’s common name comes from. When the temperature drops below freezing on a winter day it’s a real pleasure to see them.
This jelly fungus (Dacrymyces palmatus) I found growing on an old hemlock stump was the deepest orange color of any I’ve seen. Jelly fungi can be yellow, orange, white, pink, red, or black and grow on deciduous or evergreen trees. They can absorb up to 60 times their weight in water and when dry are little more than colored scales on wood. I found one recently that had fallen from a tree to the forest floor where it sat on a leaf. I tried to pick it up but it was so slippery that I couldn’t pinch it between my fingers to get a grip on it. It was just like trying to pick up a piece of gelatin, and I quickly gave up the idea of ever holding it in my hand.
A few years ago I found this old hemlock with a zig zag scar and I happened to walk by it again recently. None of us could really explain the scar, which comes right out of the soil and runs about three feet up the trunk. Some thought it might have been caused by lightning and I suppose it’s possible, but lightning strikes usually cause much more damage to a tree than this. I haven’t seen anything similar in Michael Wojtech’s excellent book Bark either.
A while ago I found the two zig zag scars in the center of this photo on another hemlock and I wonder if the scar in the previous photo might not be just a natural occurrence. It’s a mystery.
If you didn’t see an occasional icicle you wouldn’t guess that it was December here in New Hampshire. The temperatures have soared above the average almost every day through November and now December. As of this writing we’re 8.5 degrees above average for the month and if we keep going like we have we might break the record for warmest December going all the way back to 1881.
I did find some ice needles in a wet, shaded spot on an old dirt road. When the air temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit right at the soil surface and the soil and groundwater remain thawed, hydrostatic pressure can force the groundwater, sometimes super cooled, out of the soil where it freezes instantly into a “needle.” As more water is forced out of the soil the process is repeated over and over, and each needle grows in length because of more water freezing at its base. From what I’ve seen the needles almost always freeze together and form ribbons like those seen in the above photo.
The paper thin white puddle ice that makes that strange tinkling sound when it’s broken always takes me back to my boyhood. Seeing this ice on puddles after a long winter meant that spring was here and though nights still got cold and icy, the days were warm and muddy. Before long school would let out for the summer and I’d be free to roam the woods and explore the banks of the Ashuelot River once again. My father would have warmed the seat of my pants for me more than once if he’d known all the foolhardy things I used to get up to back then. He was forever telling me to stay away from the river but for me it was like a magnet, and it taught me so much.
Just like the turkey tails we saw previously the Canada geese have returned after a two year absence. This is a favorite spot of theirs on the Ashuelot River but two years ago they just stopped coming for no apparent reason. I wonder if it was just a coincidence that they and the turkey tails disappeared during two of the worst winters we’ve seen in recent memory, or if they somehow knew that those winters would be severe. I think I lean toward them sensing that those winters would be extreme because I doubt that very much in nature happens merely by coincidence. Anyhow, it’s nice to see the geese and the turkey tails back again; they were missed.
I’m not sure what drives people to stack rocks but I suppose it’s something inside some of us that is almost as old as the rocks themselves. The urge was strong enough to make whoever stacked these rocks go for a walk in what I expect were the frigid waters of the Ashuelot River. Personally I’ve never had the urge to stack rocks but I suppose nature tugs at each of us in different ways. In my opinion they detract from rather than add to the beauty that is found in nature, but I’m sure not everyone feels that way. In this case the river will wash them away in no time at all anyway.
The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature. ~Joseph Campbell
Thanks for coming by.
We are having a very warm autumn and winter too. I’m glad the turkey tails and Canada geese are back. Our turkey tails seem to be mostly brown this year.
I hope the warmth holds for both of us.
Turkey tails are brown more often than other colors, it seems. There are a lot of blue ones here this year though.
Could the white coating on the leaf have been left behind by a bird?
I wondered that too, but I don’t think so. It seemed to be part of the leaf itself.
What incredibly vivid colors!
I think so too. Those turkey tails are some of the most colorful fungi that I see.
I’m intrigued by the zigzag hemlock scars and was having trouble imagining what could have caused them. It sounds as though Maggie may have solved the puzzle, though. Another wonderful post. I’m so happy I discovered your blog.
Thank you. I’m glad that you found this blog too!
Yes, I think Maggie has the most likely answer to that mystery.
You’ve found some fascinating things, Allen. I particularly enjoyed the ice needles….
Thanks Scott. If we ever have some cold this winter I’m sure you’ll be seeing more ice needles here!
Such gorgeous images, a wonderful tale of the world around us.
Thank you Charlie!
The stacked rocks remind me of that Monty Python skit about the Royal Society for Putting Things on Top of Other Thins. That jelly fungus is a startling yellow.
I missed that but it sounds about right!
That jelly fungus was the most colorful that I’ve ever seen.
Stacking rocks can be addictive, especially when you’re trying to make an Inukshuk, or a stone wall. Those turkey tails are fascinating.
Thank you Cynthia. I agree, sometimes there are good reasons for stacking rocks but I don’t think making a pile beside a trail just to let others know you were there is one of them.
I’d guess that you must have millions of turkey tails in Canada!
Yup, we have them. I didn’t realize that’s what they were called until I read one of your posts some moons ago.
Those turkey tails have me going. I need to try to hike up into a nearby canyon where there are usually lots of them to see how they are wintering. (If I can get to the trail head).
Thanks Montucky! Usually anywhere there are stumps and logs are good places to look. They don’t mind snow and cold so you should see some if you can get to where they live.
The ice patterns are very interesting. It’s not something I see happening here. Loved the fungi as well. 🙂
Thank you Jane. No, I don’t suppose you would see much ice in Australia. In an average year I’d have much more to show you but we’ve been warm enough to make it scarce.
I hope you have turkey tails where you are. They’re beautiful little things!
There have been loud complaints about indiscriminate cairn building on our mountains over recent years. It makes navigation difficult for walkers relying on long established cairns to find a route as well as messing up the countryside.
Yes, I can see how it would, and it could be downright dangerous if someone lost their way because of it. You really have to wonder what people are thinking.
Of themselves.
Who knows? Perhaps rock stacking mirrors some internal process we unconsciously wish to manifest?
Possibly, but I wish people would find another creative outlet to express it. These stone piles really do intrude on what others go to nature to see and feel. Someday we’ve all got to realize that it isn’t always about us, and learn to show some consideration for the next hiker.
Yes. And not the only area in which a little more reflection might be a good thing.
I agree!
Reblogged this on Dawn of Divine Rays and commented:
Thank you, Allen. Lovely shots. They all look like corals on dry land. Wishing you a very blessed weekend ahead. Namaste
Thanks very much Agnes and the same to you!
We are having an extremely mild December too, with only three frosts so far and I’ve only seen ice once! The turkey tails you have found are truly beautiful! It would be interesting to discover why they are predominantly blue this year – it probably has something to do with the weather as you suggest. The places where we find stacked stones are usually places frequented by members of the New-Age movement. We were amazed when we were on holiday in Brittany, France a few years ago to find an Arthurian Trail through a forest which had hundreds and hundreds of these heaps of stones all along it!
Thank you Clare. I’m secretly hoping that January and February will take a hint from December this year and stay mild too, but that didn’t work last year.
I’ve heard that weather and the environment play a part in turkey tail coloration but that doesn’t explain how you can see two and sometimes three different colors on the same log. Minerals in the log itself must have something to do with it, I’d think.
That’s too bad about finding all those stone piles on your hike. I don’t see how people can’t see what they do to the landscape but I wish they’d show a little consideration for the next person coming along on a trail. When I walk through a forest you’ll never know that I’ve even been there, because I leave absolutely nothing behind.
Same here! I can’t bear to see damage done to wild places or litter scattered everywhere.
Me neither!
I love the ice needles, one of my favorite parts of hiking in the colder weather!
Thank you, mine too! I always look for them at this time of year.
We here in MN are having a non-winter with lawns still pretty green and no snow to speak of. Looks like so far you haven’t got snow either. I so enjoy your pictures and the descriptions that go with them. Thanks for doing this and Merry Christmas to you and yours and everybody else who reads this.
Thank you Joan and Merry Christmas to you and your family, too.
We’ve had a few flakes but nothing serious, and after a cool weekend coming up they say it’ll be warm again next week so it looks like it’s going to be a brown Christmas. That’s just fine with me!
Since being I produced to Turkey tails in your blog previously, I’ve seen lots of them. But, the ones in your photo are so brilliant and perfectly shaped – they are gorgeous. I’m going to resume my search for better-looking specimens.
Love the ice needles.
(I’ve been known to leave a cairn or two on a hike). A guilty pleasure. 🙂
Thank you Judy. I’m glad you’re seeing plenty of turkey tails. The colors and sizes vary greatly and I’ve never understood exactly why. I’ve even seen different colors on the same log and different years often produce different colors.
Don’t tell Jerry that you build Cairns!
your posts always have me digging through old photos, trying to ID stuff I’ve found. This time it was the polypore. I’ve been keeping my eye out for ice ribbons this year; I’ve never noticed them before.
Thank you Sara. I think I’ve got a good ID on that polypore because there aren’t many others that look like it. It’s very flat and thin.
If you walk through very wet ground when it’s cold you can often find ice needles before the sun warms the soil up. I find them in wet to damp gravel along streams quite often. These ones pictured were found along the rail trail where all the liverworts grow.
Lots of interesting and beautiful things in this post, especially the colorful turkey tails!
However, I’m going to go on a little rant about the cairns, referred to as “prayer stone stacks” by some. These piles aren’t true cairns, the official term for deliberately stacked rocks. From middle Gaelic, the word means “mound of stones built as a memorial or landmark.” There are plenty of those in Celtic territories and are tied to the Celt’s religious ceremonies. I wish people would quit doing it, I see them everywhere I go these days. I can never understand why people just have to leave some kind of sign behind that they were there, and it’s worse with the cairns, the people who make them claim that it’s a way to honor nature. They’ve become a new age form of graffiti in my opinion, on par with using spray paint to write Kilroy was here on a large rock, or carving one’s name in the bark of a tree.
Thanks Jerry! I don’t see too many of these rock piles but I understand how you feel about them and agree. I’m not sure how you honor nature by destroying a view with a pile of rocks. That view of the Ashuelot River is one of my favorites and now it’s cluttered up with rock piles. As I said in the post though, the river will take care of that!
Hello,
I have, twice, seen similar zig-zag scars on trees. Many years ago, I worked for a lumber yard hauling trees up from a low lot to the pick-up spot in exchange for wood to build my house. There were two trees along an old work road, think dragging trees with line and horse team, that had obviously been pushed HARD and fractured a bit when the skid loads were dragged by. The bark healed with those zig-zag marks and the tall healthy trees seemed none the worse for wear except the scar marks. I always wondered what interesting patterns the wood inside would have when the trees were eventually harvested.
Thank you so much for your in-depth, well-researched, informative articles. I can’t say how very very much I enjoy them!
Maggie
Thanks very much Maggie for the information on the tree scar. It certainly sounds like that might be what happened to this tree because it is along an old road that hasn’t seen traffic in many years.
I worked for a local businessman years ago who was having land cleared with a team of horses doing the skidding and it was great fun to watch those beautiful horses working together so well!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the blog and thank you for letting me know.
I thought of you often yesterday as I was taking a walk in the Musquash Conservation area in Londonderry. I saw lots of neat fungi, including some beautiful turkey tails. Like you, I’ve never had an urge to stack rocks (other than for my retaining wall) but it certainly does seem to have a pull for some people.
Thanks Laura. I’ve never heard of the Musquash conservation area so I Googled it. It looks like quite a large area with plenty to see. Someday I’m going to have to get out of Cheshire County and see for myself!
It seems to be a good year for late fall fungi, especially turkey tails.
You’d really enjoy the Musquash!
I loved the shapes of the turkey tails and also enjoyed the icicles.
Thank you Susan. We’re a little short on ice this year but it’s bound to cool off eventually so I hope to see more of it.