Dedham, after the rain

[urbpan]

We've had a lot of partially rainy days this summer. It's been good for plant and mushroom growth. I wish these mushrooms were in my yard, but they won't be. This is "Old man of the woods," Strobilomyces sp., a mushroom whose parent fungus grows in association with hardwood trees. These were at the base of an oak. Our yard has Norway maple (which, as a non-native weed tree probably won't form mycorrhizae with native mushrooms--we'll see, I guess) and shagbark hickory, so I doubt we'll have this mushroom species.

Our yard does have lots of insects, and the rain can make them easier to photograph:



Hover flies are known for their fast, almost unceasing flight; this yellow jacket mimicking hover fly is resting after the rain, probably drying out and warming up its flight muscles.


A small bumblebee, soaked, clings to a goldenrod stem.


A lamb's ear leaf is poor camouflage for this pretty little moth.

Comments

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

interestingly, invasive-species trees often seem to bring their mycorrhizal symbionts along with them, as they are frequently transplanted as seedlings. after that, the fungi are in the environment along with the trees, as in their ecosystem of origin.