The Fungus Among Us

Aren't they pretty? 

I love mushrooms. I think they are cute, and pretty, and fascinating. Before all this rain, I even bought a couple ceramic mushrooms to put in the flower bed because they make me think of the forest floor in a fairytale. Now that we’ve gotten so much moisture, though, we have tons of living mushrooms all over the garden!

The main garden. Carrots in front.

Speaking of the garden itself, it is nice and green, but having a little trouble actually growing because all the weather has kept temperatures cooler than they normally are this time of year. We haven’t gotten nearly as many spring blooms as we normally do, and all the tropical plants, like our passion flower vine and hibiscus and bird of paradise are enjoying the rain but not the cooler temps.

Yellow squash! 

Nevertheless, here is what is happening in the garden this year so far: carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, purple bell peppers, sweet jalapenos, zuchinni, land yellow squash. In the herb garden, we have sweet basil (ravaged by grasshoppers—we will have to replace some plants), cinnamon basil, peppermint, lavender, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and goji berries. I also have a blackberry bush and a strawberry bush. Oh, and we have pumpkins growing behind the back fence. Yay for homemade jack-o-lanterns!

Anyway, here is a roundup of the various fungi that are inhabiting our yard right now, and some more of our ever-present amphibious wildlife!

 These ones got a little beat up by the rain, but I like their funky shape. Oh, and for the record, I have no idea what any of these are actually called. I just think they're cute.

 More of the same. I love that one standalone on the right! Such a shiny cap!

 These weird mushrooms are called Bird's Nest. Because of the little eggs, see? These are literally everywhere in our yard right now. You can't walk without stepping on them. Crazy!

 Now this is a true fairytale mushroom. Look at that bright red cap! This probably means it is highly poisonous, but I just think it is beautiful, like a hookah-smoking caterpillar must secretly live there.

 These I love because they reminded me of those mushrooms from Fantasia that dance to the Nutcracker. Beautiful brown color and they all grow in these cute little clusters. I love them.

Bonus toad! He's so cute and fat because there are a ton of bugs in the garden because of all the rain. He and all his friends can stay as long as they want! Evie loves this toad. She says hi to him every time we are in the garden, and when we go back inside she yells, "Byyyye Toad! Love YOU!" She's a nature girl.

Snails. Not as welcome an addition, but snails and slugs come along with heavy rainfall, and I think they are just so pretty to look at. Look at that gorgeous shell! This guy was really happy to sit still and let me take pictures. Or maybe he was trying to run for his life—who knows? Snails are slow.

So that's what's happening in my yard right now. What do you love about nature? How is your garden growing this year?