A Wonderfully Wild Wednesday Walk at Work

I went on a wonderfully wild walk at work today.





Milkweed flowers.


Fungus.


Red berries.








Around work here in north Toronto, there is a 1 mile track through brush and bush and a colleague and I tramped through it all.


Holy fungus.


Bitter nasty tasting berries.


I tasted them to confirm.











I brought my camera and took photos as we discussed business, the economy, life and careers.











The last raspberry of the season.








The colours of autumn and new winter are hidden in the dull brown around us now.





A gall.


Staghorn Sumac - time to make some cold lemonade from it.


I've never seen Ribbed Plantain (P. lanceolata) before.


Or noticed it. Here are some nice specimans. Apply a poulstice of this to a wound and it will heal quickly. Seriously.


A knobbly fungus.





Cheers,

Mungo

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A Bumblebee, A Beagle, and a Future Camping Trip

We dressed James up as a bumblebee on Halloween.


He was a very determined bumblebee.


After a quick visit to the leaves on the front lawn, we visited a few neighbours and collected a few treats.


He is growing up quickly - two little teeth are beginning to appear in his mouth. He can say 'Da-da' and 'Ma-ma' and 'guhguh-ihgu-eeeeeei'. While he his not crawling, he is able to piece together various rolling movements to arrive at his intended location. Roll, rotate, roll, rotate, roll.


He is getting interested in Monty. He spent a while tussling with his tail. At one point he lifted the tail, and prompted Monty's natural gaseous inclinations to emerge. This brought pause to James, who then spent the next minute or two watching the tail end carefully, trying to figure out what happened. Monty happily chewed away on his toy. I am really happy that the two of them get along - you don't want an irritated dog around a child.


It won't be long until he is able to come camping with his Daddy. Mummy will help get him all ready, and will wish us lots of luck, and keep down the fort while we are away. Daddy will remain in cell phone contact by staying close to a cell tower, and report every hour on our progress. This probably won't take place until next year though.

Hope you're all having a good day!

Mungo

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A Fur Hat Raccoon, & an Autumnal Walk in the Park with Monty

I took Monty for a walk in the park early last Sunday morning.


The weather was getting cold, but I wore a wool sweater, wool socks, and gloves and was ready for the cool of the morning. I also wore pants and shoes (of course).


It was good and he had a run about.


As we got down towards the valley entrance, I thought I saw a fur hat laying on the ground. I realized quickly that it was a raccoon, and on closer examination - a living breathing, albeit unconscious or sleeping raccoon. It was a juvenile. Monty sniffed at it but kept his distance, heckles raised. Using a stick, I gently prodded it - thinking it had simply overslept (I am not a trained biologist specializing in the sleep habits of juvenile raccoons). It didn't even blink. It just kept on breathing, heaving its chest every few seconds.


I figured it had either fallen from the tall willow tree above or was sick (or hungover - Saturday night was behind us). I called Toronto Animal Services and 45 minutes later a gruff fellow arrived, manhandled the unresponsive raccoon into a cage and left. I hope that the raccoon got better.


I mused on this for a few minutes and wandered about near the tree line. I then stumbled about my mushroom patch (where several dead tree stumps lay submerged beneath the grass on the verge by the valley - saprophytic mushrooms feast on rotting wood). I found only a single stinkhorn beginning to emerge from its egg.


The Heal-All (Prunella vulgaris) seems pretty tenacious stuff. I've eaten it. It is bitter and strange tasting. Anti-viral and anti-lots of bad stuff, apparently.


In a mini chipmunk hole I found a mini-mushroom beginning to grow. Even chipmunks enjoy mushrooms.

Cheers - hope you're enjoying the cooler weather! My favourite season is upon us - Autumn.

Mungo

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Updated "Interesting Links" Section & a Lifetime Supply of Canned Bacon

I have updated the 71 blogs and information web sites listed on the right-hand side of my blog, under the "Interesting Links" section (right under the photographs).

Check them out.

If you visit any or all of these sites, you will receive an all expenses paid trip to Bermuda, a $30,000 cheque, a recreational vehicle from RVsrUS, and a life-time supply of canned bacon*.

*offer and cheque only valid if you are my beagle Monty.

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Agaricus arvensis (Horse Mushroom)

The Horse Mushroom (Agaricus arvensis) is a sought-after mushroom related to the button mushrooms that you buy at the supermarket.


On Sunday, I collected a couple of pounds worth growing by a dead tree trunk in a park nearby as I was walking about the neighbourhood with a sleeping baby in his stroller.


Gilled. Big. Pleasant smell. It is one of the 'most delicious edible mushrooms'.


Fry 'em up. Tempura them. Put into soups.


Have with a T-Bone steak.


Enjoy with a Porterhouse steak.


A Rib-Eye steak would accompany some sauted mushrooms well.


And a nice bottle of red wine, methinks.


Anyway. This is my first big find of edible mushrooms this year.


I am hoping to bump into a stump covered in Oyster mushrooms sometime.


I will keep my eyes peeled.


And once I cook a few of these up, I'll report on them.

Don't worry. I've checked and rechecked. I've asked the advice of 2 independent experts who both agree. I have also have my Roger Philips' Mushrooms textbook on my side.

Mungo Says don't ever eat fungus unless you have 100% identified them. Many mushrooms have visual analogues that can be mildy poisonous to deadly poisonous.

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