There were only a few brave souls out walking today. The temperature had dropped significantly, and the wind was chilly. I needed my nature fix and wasn’t expecting anything out of the ordinary. But as usual I was rewarded bountifully.
My first stop was to check the fungi village that was building up on a large oak tree that had fallen several years ago. In addition to hundreds of lovely green and cream lichens, other inhabitants appear regularly. Today I found a mature mushroom village. They look like honey mushrooms, but they have little or no stem. Some are pure white. I’m not sure if they start out white and then become honey-colored or if they represent two different kinds of mushroom. They have a delicate fan structure underneath. If you recognize them, let me know.
I stopped to examine a particularly colorful leaf that had fallen on the path. That led me to three other discoveries. A tree had fallen, and the bark had started to pull away from the trunk. Some wood eating creature had sculpted the tree trunk and the inside of the bark into a lovely piece of artwork. There was a beetle standing on the tree underneath where I stripped back the bark. His outer covering was a shiny, deep cranberry, patent leather. At first, he played possum pretending I wouldn’t see him. But he scooted as I reached for my camera. I imagine he wasn’t too happy I’d pulled away the bark. I don’t know if he’s the sculptor or a visitor to the wood gallery.
When I was a child, my dad and I took long walks in our woods. I would always keep an eye out for this kind of wood sculpting as he said it was fairy writing. Of course, now I know the truth. But my heart still quickens when I see these squiggly markings on my woodland adventures. Some of the designs are so lovely they could be in a wood carving museum.
After studying this new find, I came upon a solitary milkweed seed. The seed must have caught on a leaf or grass blade as it was firmly anchored even with the slight breeze that was making it shimmer. It made me wonder about the chemical composition of the filaments. What makes them glisten? This is the second time I’ve seen a milkweed seed late in the season. There are still pods filled with the satiny filaments along the path. I love imagining myself tucked in at night amidst these gossamer strands and falling asleep to the sound of the owls and the wind.
If you want to see some amazing photos of milkweed seeds go to: https://prairieecologist.com/tag/milkweed/
So often when I am walking and looking at something else, I find another treasure that the Lord has laid out for me to enjoy. He seems to take great pleasure in revealing new discoveries to me. Sometimes I just stop along the path and spend time looking in a one-foot square space just to see all the creatures and plants I can find. I am never disappointed.
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine according to His power that is at work in us.”
Ephesians 3:20 NIV
