The Changing Seasons – October 2018

Clouds reflected on pond
Reflections of Fall at the Puslinch Tract

It’s been hard for me to blog this Fall. October is the month you realize there are not many days left you can head out with bare hands and a bare head. So that puts some urgency into my outdoor activities and causes me angst when I’m stuck indoors (looking at you, work!) on a beautiful day.

Luckily there have been some stellar weekends (although this cold, blustery, rainy one is not one of them) and I was out on the trails with my trusty iPhone camera in hand:

beautiful leaves
Fiery Foliage peeking through the trees
clashing colours in nature
Who says you can’t wear purple and orange together? Not Mother Nature, that’s for sure.

I don’t know if this was an exceptional year for fungus or not, but for some reason I noticed fabulous fungi everywhere I looked, this fall.

bracket fungus on tree
Brilliant Bracket Fungus
fungus that looks like a turkey tail
Aptly-named Turkey Tail Fungus
can't identify fungus
I don’t know what this is (and neither does iNaturalist for sure, apparently). Way too many suggestions and none looked quite like this.
red lichen
I’m lichen this Wrinkled Crust lichen 🙂
edible fungus
This one is called Bears Head Tooth. And it’s edible, though I didn’t try it. One of my fellow walkers did, and I see he is still posting on Facebook so that means he survived. 😉

As it’s almost Halloween, I thought I’d share some of the wild decor I saw at my latest visit to my orthodontist.

decor at the orthodontist
When one looks up…
prisoner in cage
Where you end up when you don’t floss, I guess.

The Changing Seasons is a monthly photo challenge hosted by Su Leslie, of Zimmerbitch. Please stop by her blog to see the Changing Season, down under in New Zealand.

That is October, almost a wrap!

Happy Halloween everyone, and rock on,

The WB

 

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26 thoughts on “The Changing Seasons – October 2018

    1. Well, considering the average age of the orthodontist office’s clientele (hint: decades younger than mine), it’s not surprising they go all out for Hallowe’en! Thanks Su. Snow on the roof this morning 😫

  1. I’m always so impressed with the great photos you take with your iPhone. How is it that we have the identical phone and yet your’s are always so much better than mine?!!

    I love the opening photo. It is everything I love – blue sky, water, trees – sigh. It’s the best.
    I envy your proximity to trails and water. It makes getting out for a walk in the woods so much easier, while I have to drive some distance to get in a decent hike.

    Although today is a bit icky – unless you like wet slush – I hope your weekends are full of more walks in the woods 🙂

    1. Thanks Joanne. I do have to drive to get to the Puslinch Tract, but it’s less than 10 minutes away. I’ll take you there some time. I crop my photos before I post them, and usually press on the magic wand, to see if it improves them. It usually does, but not always. I think cropping gives the most bang for the buck.

  2. Jean R.

    Our color has not been good here in West Michigan but I’ve seen fungi in my yard I’ve never seen in my entire, long life. So I was thrilled to see you mention it here. (Mine is different than yours, though.)

    Cropping photos does make a huge difference. I wish I could take good pictures with my phone but I usually end up turning off the phone instead of pressing the shutter ‘dot’. I was a camera bluff before cell phones came along and now I feel too outdated to use my 35mm camera out in public.

  3. Jean R.

    I just spent the last 10minutes looking at Michigan fungus online and finally found one like I have in my yard…coral fungus. Mother Nature truly is fascinating. I never realized how many variations of fungi there is. Thanks for giving me my muse for today.

  4. The fungi is gorgeous! And I totally agree about being ‘stuck indoors’ in gorgeous weather! I am hoping to the turning of seasons into my own preparation for the hibernation of winter when I will write more, read more, and restore my energy for spring, summer, and fall. I’m testing my theory to see if it keeps the winter blues of Seasonal Affective Disorder at bay.

    1. I find getting outside every day, for a walk however brief, helps my mood and makes the winter more bearable. There are some gorgeous winter days too, when the sun is shining and the winds are still. Hope we have some this winter, Janet! Have you ever tried one of those SAD lights? I have not.

  5. Absolutely agree about gorgeous winter days — I’ll take zero degrees and sunny to 60 and cloudy any day! I’ve never used the SAD lights – but my teen daughter uses one that has a sunrise and sunset function for her alarm clock and says it is very helpful. One of my intentions is to get out every day regardless of weather – just for fresh air and change of scenery if nothing else! Working from home can be dangerous in this regard.

  6. Those are some beautiful fall colors. I too, have noticed some really interesting fungi this season – more so than I remember in previous years. I guess they really want to spread their spores this year, I’m glad because they are beautiful!

  7. Hey Deb! You photos show a MAJOR difference between where I live and you live. While I do occasionally miss those autumn colors, the weather here in the desert southwest is turning more spectacular with each day. We are just starting our season and every local is breathing a sigh of relief and welcome. Still, I DO enjoy your photos. And may you enjoy your outdoor time as much as possible in the days ahead. ~Kathy

  8. AJ Blythe

    As if the dentist’s isn’t scary enough as it is 😉 My turn for warm, sunny outdoor days. But work is keeping me from them as well. Work craziness should finish in a few weeks…can’t wait!

  9. Your photos are beautiful. Our fall has been blah and warmer than usual. It doesn’t really seem like fall, which makes me sad because fall is my favorite season. On a different note, I’ve never seen such an accurate representation of the impact that not flossing has on a body! 🙃

  10. Oh my goodness but those photos are stunning! I LOVE all of the fungus (among us) I’m sharing this post with my brother. He’s a never-ending fountain of fungi knowledge. He’ll dig this. – Oh, I so feel you on the weather, Deb. I too am counting down those days of bare hands and no hats or scarves or ear warmers before as I like to call it. STAYING INSIDE weather. Hahahaha. Actually I do go out in the winter I just look like a giant mattress trying to walk down the road. Totally bundled up from head to toe. 🙂 Okay. Maybe not that bad but I feel like it! – And your orthodontists office? What a scream! 😀

  11. All that Autumn foliage is so beautiful Deb – very different to how things are looking in Australia as we enter Spring with gay abandon. I would also like to mention that I worked for an orthodontist for 8 years and the closest to decorating he ever did was when I stuck a bit of tinsel and a few balls up for Christmas! Your guy is way cooler than mine was 🙂

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