Fungus - Beautiful Polypores and Jelly and the Outdoor Hour Challenges Featuring Mushrooms

We always enjoy finding a beautiful fungus when we hike....yes, I said beautiful. They come in such interesting shapes and colors. There is no denying that the bracket fungus above is beautiful in its design.



Now identifying fungus with a specific name is not always easy for me so when I do learn a name it usually sticks. This fungus is called Witches' Butter.

If you live in California, this is a good website to bookmark:
California Fungus-Simple Key.



This one was truly unusual and I don't think we have seen it before on our hikes. It only lasted a few days and I am really glad we stopped to take some photos so we can remember the way it grows.




Here it is on another stump. At the bottom of the image you can see that something has knocked part of it off the stump and you can take a good look at the gills.




This one was just an interesting shape....don't have any idea what it is exactly but I can still appreciate the way it is part of the habitat and that it is just fun to look at as we stopped to observe it along our trail.

Here is a link to another fungus entry I wrote last year: The Joy of Fungus. In this entry I share some of notebook pages and a couple of interesting links for you to check out.

Also, you can check out two of the Outdoor Hour Challenges featuring mushrooms in the Handbook of Nature Study:

Outdoor Hour Challenge #41

Autumn Series #9 Mushrooms

December World - Texture

We had a break in our rainy weather so that meant we seized the opportunity to get out and walk with the dog on the walking trail. Our surprise nature study subject of the day was "mushrooms". They were in abundance on this trip down the trail.

After looking at all the photos when we got home, I decided the theme of the day was "texture".


Must be something rotting underneath the debris....makes for a great photo.



Lots of things going on in this photo...reds and greens make a nice contrast to each other.


This is my favorite image of the day....wow! Look all those textures and colors and layers.



Someone or something had knocked a bunch of mushrooms loose along another section of the trail. Love the gills in this mushroom image.


Last one for today....mushrooms and brown grass make an interesting composition for this image.

We are enjoying our winter break and spending lots of time outdoors, both in the yard and out on walks. I haven't had any nature study subjects in mind except to enjoy the pleasures that December has offered. I am sort of itching to get started on a more focused nature study plan again in January.

The Winter Series of Outdoor Hour Challenges is available from last year on the sidebar of my blog if you are interested in working through those this year. I also am writing a complete set of notebook pages and compiling last year's Winter Wednesday challenges into an ebook with some updated information and links. I hope to have that book available to purchase by the end of the week. I am thinking if you completed the Winter Series of Outdoor Hour Challenges last year, you can use the Winter Wednesday ebook this year with the notebook pages. You can look at the Winter Wednesday topics if you click the Winter tab at the top of my blog. I am writing the WW ebook in such a way that you DO NOT need the Discover Nature in Winter book to complete them, it is suggested but not necessary. This will cut your investment considerably since you really only need the ebook to complete all the WW challenges.

I hope that explains what I am up to for the winter season of nature study. Please feel free to email me if you have any confusion or any questions.

I am off to San Francisco today to spend the day looking at some great art....Post-Impressionists! Of course the museum is in Golden Gate Park so we will more than likely be taking a walk to see what we can find.

Have a great week!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Yesterday's Hike: Our Familiar Trail

I love having a "familiar trail". The subtle changes that take place from week to week sometimes escape my notice until I look at them through the lens of my camera. The light is different this time of year and the colors so very different. This trail that is bursting with wildflowers in the spring and early summer is now just a palette of browns and greens, with an occasional splash of color if you really look for it along the edges.

Although this may sound like a complaint, it really isn't. I love having the contrasts between seasons, anticipating the next progression of growing. It is something at the core of me that knows this is the natural way to keep time. Thinking about it...perhaps this is why I don't wear a watch or carry my phone with me at all times. I just like to feel the natural rhythm of the day and the seasons without fussing too much with the minute by minute ticking of time. It's cloudy, rainy, cold, the oaks have lost their leaves, the buckeyes are sprouting on the ground, the ferns are unfurling.....it must be close to the first day of winter.

Guess I'm feeling sort of reflective on this cold, gray afternoon. :)

What to see a few images from our walk? Enjoy!


It was still wet from the melted frost we had overnight and the mood was very somber.


It is a steep hike back up the canyon after we hike down. Great exercise for humans and canines. (If you want to see what this place on the trail looks like in the spring, you can click HERE.


Dried up blackberries still hanging on the vines next to the trail. This is near the mushy part of the trail and soon we will have a little creek to hop over at this point.


Wet wintery weeds are everywhere....I can visualize what the spring will bring but for now the landscape is pretty sad.



The most colorful spot we found on our hike was right near the top where the ferns, mosses, and fungus are all bursting out.

So there you have it....a December day on our familiar trail. We are now facing ten forecasted days of rain so we may  not make it back for another week or so down this trail. If the weather clears, we will jump on the chance to get out and hike again on this path so close to home.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

In Expectation: Finding Joy in Your Own Neighborhood

I always go outside with the expectation that there will be something interesting.

Sometimes you have to look harder to find it than other times.

Nature study has made me more of a positive person...I expect to find something outdoors to make me joyful. I expect that there will be something that we can observe and notice.

There is just so much to see and learn about, but we need to train our eyes and hearts to be open to the opportunities that arise.

The simple truth is that everyone has something special and unique to explore in their own backyard or neighborhood.

Here are a few things from our hikes this week.


Wow! Look at the color of this fungi? We think it is called Witches Butter.


I am amazed by these seeds. As many times as we have hiked down this same path, by this same plant, I have never noticed these really great seeds but there they are.


There were lots of fresh critter holes along the trail this week. This one was especially large. We see signs of lots of mammals as we walk and holes are some of the most intriguing signs that we are not alone.


The ferns are growing right now like crazy. Every day there are more and more to enjoy.

Keep your senses open to any opportunities and you may be surprised what you find to be interested in along with your children.

I got to thinking about all of the simple things we have in our own backyard that we have noticed over the years.

Trees: leaves, bark, twigs, roots, flowers, cones, needles, seeds, pods, nests, birds
Patch of weeds: leaves, roots, bugs, flowers perhaps
Dirt: worms, gravel, stones, seeds, mud
Sky: clouds, sun, moon, stars
Air: temperature, wind, smells, breath on a cold morning
Birds: flying, pecking, eating, chirping, hopping, shapes and colors, beaks, wings, tails, feet
Sounds: wind, frogs, rain, leaves, crickets, bees, fly buzzing, mosquitoes
Weather: rain, clouds, temperature, snow, ice, dew, wind
Flowers (garden or in a pot): petals, pollen, roots, leaves, stem, fragrance, shapes, colors, seeds

What can you put on your list?

Above all, have fun and be joyful!
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Wetland Day-Great Egrets

I know that large parts of the United States are under frozen temps and lots of ice so I almost feel guilty posting my photos from our hike yesterday. It was very sunny but the wind was brisk and we took advantage of the afternoon to look into a wetland that is about an hour from our home. This wildlife area is home to lots of migratory birds and is on the Pacific Flyway.

There were many kinds of ducks and geese but some other more exciting birds as well. We watched a pair of hawks soaring and diving for a long time and then we came across this beauty of a bird....a Great Egret.


We observed many Great Egrets. This particular bird was posing for the longest time for us and we got a very good look at his beautiful fluffy feathers. (Go ahead, click the photo to get a better look.)

I tried to get a photo of one in flight and this was the best I could do, if you click the photo you will see it much better. They dangle their feet out behind them as they fly and their wings have a wingspan of about 50 inches.


We also enjoyed the wildflowers that were in bloom.....mostly mustard and this white flower that I am not sure about.


My son spotted these huge mushrooms along the road.


It was nice to get out into the sunshine and explore a new area. We were on the lookout for signs of mammals but we didn't see any this time.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Additional Options for Outdoor Hour Challenge 43 Growing Molds

We haven't completed Outdoor Hour Challenge 43 yet but I wanted to give some additional ideas for options to the original challenge.

Here are some additional ideas to get you started with observing molds for Outdoor Hour Challenge 43.

Here is a YouTube video that shows mold growing on bread and then an orange. It is a short and sweet video. Please remember to preview.



How about some clipart for your notebook?

This diagram shows the parts of bread mold.

Label for this one:
"Showing One of the More Common Molds found on Fruits and Bread. The tiny stalks grow vertically into the air. The end of each thread swells into a small round knob, from the inside of which hundreds of minute bodies, called spores, burst. As a is seen a large knob filled with spores." — Blaisedell, 1904


Here is a link to a whole list of information about puffballs and there are fantastic images to view as well.
Puffballs at MushroomExpert.com


If you are brave, you can grow mold in your own Mold Terrarium. I would love to see your results. We have conducted this experiment before and we found the best place to put our jar was in our laundry room cupboard where it was usually warm and dark.

Here is a complete booklet on fungus/mushrooms for you to look at using with your child. Preview it before printing the whole packet out since there are a lot of pages. I especially like page 17, 18, 21, 22, and 25 to print out and put in your nature journal.
Mushrooms PDF

Hope you found something here to spark your interest. Our next Outdoor Hour Challenge will be on January 9th.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Outdoor Hour Challenge #43 Molds, Puffballs, and Morels

This will be the last Outdoor Hour Challenge posted until January 9, 2009. Our family will be taking a two week break from school and I am going to give myself a two week break from organizing anything new for the challenges. I will be back and ready to go on January 9th with a whole series of new challenges on mammals.

I prepared a special podcast for you yesterday. I am anticipating the making of more podcasts for the Outdoor Hour Challenges in the future. I really like the format of speaking directly to you so you can hear my voice and understand better the ideas that I am trying to express.

This podcast is about ten minutes long but you can listen and pause or download to your computer or your iPod...whatever works for you. I hope you find some time to listen to it today! Sorry for all the microphone noise...still working on how to use the headset. :)

Outdoor Hour Challenge Podcast #1 December 19, 2008
For now the podcasts will be loaded on my Harmony Fine Arts podcast website but when my tech guru son has time, he will make a website just for the Outdoor Hour Challenge podcasts.

As we finish up our mini focus on flowerless plants, I need to say that I have personally learned more than I ever anticipated. I hope that you have learned something too or that you are better prepared to study flowerless plants as you will eventually come into contact with them in the near future. At the very least, I hope that you have gained confidence in knowing a few facts, gleaned from the Handbook of Nature Study.

Don't forget to send in your survey responses by December 23, 2008. I am already gaining lots of insight as I read through the surveys that have come in so far. Thank you to everyone who has responded, I highly value your words.

Edit to Add: Here is a link to another post with additional ideas to get you started with growing molds.
Additional Help with Challenge 43

Outdoor Hour Challenge #43
Molds, Puffballs, and Morels

1. Read pages 727-729 in the Handbook of Nature Study. Included in the reading are instructions for growing your own mold on bread so you will have some mold of your own to observe. I highly recommend this activity and your children will be amazed at the results. Although some might find mold repulsive, try to keep a positive outlook as you grow and then observe your very own mold.

2. Read pages 720-725 in the Handbook of Nature Study and learn about puffballs and bracket fungi. Read pages 726-727 in the Handbook of Nature Study about Morels. You can underline and highlight any sections you find in these pages that you find interesting. File away the facts until you come across some of these interesting subjects during your nature study.

3. Do your best to spend 10-15 minutes outdoors this week with your children. View this time as the opportunity to enjoy whatever you have available for nature study this week. If you find some mushrooms, ferns, moss, lichen, mold, bracket fungus, morels, or puffballs, you are equipped to observe these subjects more closely. If you have snow or ice to deal with, why not review challenge #39 on water forms and spend a few minutes talking about the water cycle?

If you need some fresh ideas for your outdoor time, your family might enjoy using the Winter Nature Walk Scavenger Hunt notebook page available at this link:
http://www.savefile.com/files/1274469

4. After your outdoor time, spend a few minutes reviewing your outdoor experience. This step will help you identify any additional interests your children have so you can answer any questions or help identify any objects they observed outdoors. Are they curious about clouds or a bird they saw? Did you find any flowerless plants at all during your outdoor time? Use this time to follow up with the Handbook of Nature Study and don’t forget that you can look things up in the index.

5. Give an opportunity for a nature journal entry or provide a notebook page to complete together. Remember that a nature journal should be the child’s expression of something they found interesting during their outdoor time. You are helping them make a memory.

6. Make your blog entry and then share your entry on Mr. Linky. Everyone is always interested in seeing how other families accomplish their Outdoor Hour Challenge. You will find all the challenges listed on the sidebar of the Handbook of Nature Study blog.

To print this challenge out in pdf format, see the free downloads section of my blog.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Fungus and Fern Hikes: Our Outdoor Hour Challenge #41

We have been on the lookout for mushrooms and ferns for the last few weeks in anticipation of this challenge. I am overwhelmed with how much I don't know about mushrooms at this point but I am determined to document the mushrooms and other fungus that we see so that when I have a cold winter day and I want to spend some time with a field guide, I will be able to flip through the photos and hopefully come up with names for them.

I decided that there are so many photos that I would make a slideshow on Flickr.com to share with you. The fungi are from three different places but the majority are from my own yard or from a hike within three miles of my house. The others are from the Calaveras Big Trees State Park.

Mushroom Slideshow

As we hiked yesterday, I noticed that the boys were catching sight of more and more varieties of mushrooms than ever before. They even spotted some that I didn't see and directed me to go back to the spot and take a photo. :)

This particular hike they were having a good time in the cool fresh air together.

If you look carefully up over the trail where the boys are hiking, you will notice a tree that broke off and is just barely hanging in place. The boys thought they should try to throw rocks at it to see if they could get it to come down but my dh explained that he didn't think that was a really great idea. :)

I noticed that I was getting into quite a few sticker type seeds as we walked along.


We hiked back to the top and noticed that the moon was up over the oaks. What a great blue sky, don't you think?


So I am still getting used to my new little camera but I think I will like it in the long run. It has a better zoom and the viewing screen is much bigger. (Costco coupon sale!)

Here are the last of the photos for today.

Backside of a fern

Big ferns along the path.

Ferns along the side of a gully that will have a creek running in it once it rains again around here. :)

Here is my son's mushroom diagram for his nature journal. We copied this out of the Handbook of Nature Study, page 719.


This was a great challenge for our family and we never dreamed we would find so many different kinds of mushrooms and other fungi to study.

I encourage you all to give the challenge a try either now or when your weather is cooperating.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

"Into the Realm of the Undiscovered"

"In nature study any teacher (parent) can with honor say, "I do not know"; for perhaps the question asked is as yet unanswered by the great scientists. But she should not let lack of knowledge be a wet blanket thrown over her pupils' interest. She should say frankly, "I do not know; let us see if we cannot together find out this mysterious thing....She thus conveys the right impression that only a little about the intricate life of plants and animals is yet known; and at the same time she makes her pupils feel the thrill and zest of investigation. Nor will she lose their respect by doing this, if she does it in the right spirit.....The chief charm of nature study would be taken away if it did not lead us through the border-land of knowledge into the realm of the undiscovered."
Handbook of Nature Study, page 3-4

Here is the view from my spot alongside the river. We had the whole place to ourselves except for the occasional bird flying overhead. We had seen bear tracks alongside this river at this spot last winter but there were none to be seen this time. Where is the bear now we wondered? Watching us?


This discovery made us stop and ponder over the creatures that live all around us that we never see. There was a tree down on the forest floor and someone or something had peeled back part of the bark to expose these interesting marks left by some insect drilling a pathway under the original bark. I have no idea what kind of insect but I would love to know. :)

I know we are not officially studying flowerless plants yet but these two were just too awesome to wait to share with you.

The milky white growth caught our attention as we hiked through the trees and enjoyed the quiet of the trail. It is amazing what you will find when you try to focus on one aspect of nature. We were all about the flowerless plants on this particular hike. I counted my photos just now and we found fifteen non-flowering plants on this afternoon. Incredible.

Here is another view of the one above.

I wish I knew what it was so I could share but I have very limited knowledge of non-flowering plants and I do not have a very good field guide. I am going to pop over to Amazon.com later and see what I can find to have on hand and to carry in my day pack. It is always nice to put a name to something you discover.


This mushroom looked like it had icicles hanging along the edges...like dainty lace. When you get this close to a mushroom and you really examine it enough to try to break down what it truly looks like, you begin to appreciate that each one has its one character and charm.

I hope you are all looking forward to a focus on non-flowering plants over the next few weeks. Start to search your yards and as you go throughout your daily activities to see if you can't find some to look at for yourself up close.

Lately, nature study has been more about questions than answers.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

Catch Up Week for the Outdoor Hour Challenge and Giant Sequoias Again

There will be no new Outdoor Hour Challenge this week but your family can take the opportunity to pick a challenge from the last few weeks to complete and post about.

How about the Seasonal Tree Observation in Challenge #36 or the Weather Observations in either Challenge #39 or #40?

These are some of the easier challenges that are great to complete during autumn so when we get to winter and spring you can compare the changes if any.

If you didn't complete the first five challenges, why not pick one of those to work on this week?

Your family can look down the list of challenges in the right sidebar of the Handbook of Nature Study blog to choose one that fits your area and needs.

We will be starting a short flowerless plants study next week, December 5th. I have already started collecting photos of flowerless plants in our area and I am amazed how many we have found so far.

Here is one fungus we saw today on a hike.

Can you see how it grew up with the leaves on top? Really interesting! I took so many more photos to share but I will wait until the flowerless plant challenges. Suspense is always a good thing.

Here are a few more shots from today for you too enjoy.

We were still looking for clouds...look at that sky and the few puffy clouds.

Later in the afternoon, the clouds came in and made it a little cool under the sequoias. These trees are so tall and we always have fun trying to capture them in a photo.

This photo my son took and I think it really shows how tall these giants are.

How about this giant sugar pine cone? The hike we took had a mix of all kinds of trees....pines, sequoias, and lots of deciduous trees too.

How can you help but become refreshed both physically and spiritually after a hike where the trees tower over you and there are interesting things around every corner if you take the time to look for them?

Have a great weekend.
Barb-Harmony Art Mom