Above: one of the forests in which I wander, and its emerald carpet of mosses. A magical world…
I take a walk in the woods almost every day. These days, the air is moist, the ground is alive with mosses. And there are treasures everywhere!
A moss cushion in the afternoon sun, enjoying its position on a very wet rock.
That was a very wet spot, really. It was dripping in the late afternoon sun. I tried to capture a drop, about to fall off the moss, but not quite yet…
Above: a moss close-up. I have a new toy: a set of diopter filters (magnifier-like filters, in different strengths, and you can stack them to increase magnification). These are my first attempts are seeing how much of this mini-world I can get into focus.
Blooming club moss, above.
And then, there are the lichens… A whole new lilliputian world has opened up, through my lens.
Above: on a log, an entire miniature habitat where competitors reach for the moisture and nutrients. The tall ones are “pixie cup” Cladonia lichens, along with other lichens whose names are still a mystery to me, and some moss. (Note: I found a great lichen reference page here. Please have a look, if you are intrigued by lichens.)
Above: macro shot of Pixie cup lichen (Cladonia) and its “warts”… With the diopter filters, the depth of field is so shallow that hand-held shots are a “no breathing allowed” moment…
Once your eyes get used to the very diffuse light, you notice all kinds of details in the mosses. Above: a jelly tooth mushroom (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum), and it is a very gelatinous thing. Almost glows in the dark, that tiny one!
After the rains, there is a great deal of mushroom variety. Little ones, mostly. Like the orange guy above. Sorry, I have no idea about ID!
Above, in the darkest part of the forest, some coral mushrooms were peeking out of the forest litter. Maybe Clavulina cristata…
Delicate little “grey caps”, all lined-up for a dance.
Above: Witches’ butter mushrooms (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) on a fallen log.
And this lovely duo, basking in the afternoon light, in the clover…
To close this post, a shot of the seasonal creek that makes its way to the ocean, near my house…
