Urban Nature Pictures 11/06

[urbpan]

Smooth sumac at Stony Brook Reservation. I actually went to the Stony Brook Reservation twice yesterday. This shot is from the afternoon, when I went with Alex and Alexis, and the sky was blue for a little while. The rest of the set is from the morning, when I went with just Charlie and it was colder and grayer.




The Reservation is made up of mixed pine and deciduous forest.


I set my camera's manual setting to ASA 400, which allowed me to capture images in low light, but resulted in extremely grainy images, particularly of these mock oysters.


Unidentified fungal fruiting bodies.


An asphalt road winds through the Reservation, and over the years lichen and moss have grown on it.


Moss grabs a foothold in a crack in the asphalt.


Just off the path other mosses and pixie cup lichens grow.


Witch hazel.


A stone standing lookout.

Comments

[urb-banal.livejournal.com]

If I have neglected to thank you recently for your posting of photos I will thank you now. Witch Hazel is something I use often and I had no idea what the plant or flower looked like at all! Cool.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! It's a pretty unassuming little shrub most of the year.

[wirrrn.livejournal.com]

Sumac? As in "Auuuuugh, the itching it burrrns?!"

[bedfull-o-books.livejournal.com]

No. You're thinking of poison sumac.

This is regular sumac. Actually a good source of vitamin C. :-)