I’ve been thinking that this Fall season the colors just aren’t what they’ve been the past couple of years. There are areas of brightly colored trees and before all the rain and wind, I did see some bright red trees along the roads and a few big maples in gorgeous yellow and orange.
Fall 2010
Yesterday, Friday, October 8th, was a warm, sunny day around here and I took a walk to the lake for some seasonal photos. It was very windy but with the air being so warm, it felt good. I got some shots at my favorite spots, but still wasn’t very impressed with the colors.
I know that by this time last year everything was much brighter . I’ve read that a hot, dry summer can adversely affect Autumn’s foliage and I think that was the culprit this year. We certainly had a very hot and mostly dry summer. But I’ll share my photos with you, because we take what we get and no matter what, I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth, no matter what the season.
Turtles and Trees
Along the lake 2010
As I write this part of the post it is 2024 and I no longer live in New Hampshire. My old posts, with foliage photos, need some help. I leave them up because of the pictures. I like seeing them too.
I posted a picture of these mushrooms in my previous post and they were just little, orange buttons. Now, a few days later they have “mushroomed” into flat heads as you can see in this photo.
I don’t know why, all of a sudden, I am so interested in mushrooms, but I find myself on the lookout for them at this time of year especially when I am walking in the woods.
Maybe it’s because I am surrounded by places where they are easily found, but I just never paid much attention.
The Open Mushrooms
I have no idea what type of mushroom this is. If I had to guess from the pictures and description in my book maybe they are the Jack O’Lantern. But they are not bright orange.
Or, they could be Omphalotus illudens which are also poisonous. Found in June – November they grow on dead logs.
I currently live surrounded by woods so searching for interesting nature is fun. My landlady’s house is on 13 acres, but I usually stay close by or travel up the road to the Girl Scout Camp. There is no shortage of wilderness to explore.
The New Hampshire woods are always full of interesting items to see. In Fall we get to find some new types of mushrooms.
I don’t know what kind of mushroom these are, but I came across them as I was hiking the woods around my place. See my next post where they are more open and flat and I take a guess at their name.
Unless you pay close attention when walking in the woods, you will miss these little bunches of fungi. I take my camera (no iPhone at the time – hence the lack of photos to share) and don’t touch them because most likely they are poisonous. If I can remember where they are growing I might try to return in a day or two and see how they have changed.
One thing I’ve learned from reading about (and viewing) mushrooms is that they will change their look quite quickly – some of them. They may only last a few days or they can last into winter and beyond. Some are delicate and easily broken or mashed and others are as hard as a rock.
As I photograph the mushrooms I see in my area, I look them up in my books for identifying. That is not easy I have found. In order to really be sure of a mushroom name, close observation of all parts is needed. Read this article with excellent photos, at NH Garden Solutions to see what types of mushrooms you may find in the Fall season.
My Audubon “Field Guide to New England” only lists a few mushroom types and warns that at least 10 of the mushroom species in New England are deadly poisonous to eat so making a mistake in choosing can cost you your life. I will only be photographing and not picking to eat.
*Blog update: It is 16 years later as I update these old blog posts and I am always struck by how easy it is nowadays to share photos online. In 2010 I carried my camera with me (if I remembered) and took only a few photos at a time. Growing up and using film cartridges that had to be mailed away, only to return 12 or 24 photos is ingrained in me, I guess. Back then we had to be discerning about what pictures we decided to take. Space for preservation was very limited. Even though I had progressed to a digital camera, I never took loads of photos of the same thing! Now that I have an iPhone, I tend to be the same way, unless it is something I really want to be sure I capture correctly.
These old posts are not very well written, or SEO compatible, but I’ll be keeping the ones that I can save as a memory of what I used to do.
We’ve had such a very warm September in New Hampshire, that I was wondering if Fall would ever arrive, but it did and with it came loads of rain and some wind. Not what we like to see as the leaves change color, but there is some good color left. It’s been nasty and rainy on the days I’ve had a chance to walk – so I haven’t and therefore have no new photos yet.
Today there is no school, and after my Friday trip to the dump and swap shop, I will walk to the lake and get some photos, providing the sun stays out for me.
As I drove my son home from cross-country practice yesterday afternoon the sun was just coming out and it hit the trees along the lake in just the right way to make them glow with their Autumn leaves. Maybe I’ll wait till later and try to get some photos at that later time of day.
In the mean time, the petunias in the window boxes have been replaced with pumpkins and straw thanks to my landlady.
Another beauty from last years season: Autumn Lake 7 by pamdicar
View other Autumn foliage Postcards
