after four days of no walks, i was ecstatic to get one in today. we returned to our favorite hill in the city to complete some minor trail business. we finally did the Clarendon Trail, which was mostly empty and provided some nice birdwatching on our way back. highlights include just spending more time on our beloved Mt. Sutro, seeing the usual Shaggy Parasol mushrooms and a couple new ones to ID (!), a handful of bird encounters (like a juvenile Dark-eyed Junco hopping on the ground super close to us while we snacked at the summit and an American Robin chasing away a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk), and coming upon a couple new shrines like the one below on the Gardener’s Trail.
UPDATE – ok, normally i think two photos per weekdaily walk is plenty for anyone who actually enjoys my public nature journaling (journalling?), but now that i’ve IDed what i thought was a new-to-me mushroom i HAVE TO ADD IT HERE. this small yellow blob is not a mushroom. this is Dog Vomit Slime Mold (Fuligo septica). i am not making that up. turns out, it’s not a mushroom. slime molds are not mushrooms. it’s also not the only entertainingly named slime mold. there is also Dog Sick Slime Mold. but i’m pretty sure this is the former. and reading about its various names on wikipedia is fascinating. no story on how it got this particular common name, or its other colorful common name, Scrambled Egg Slime. but its first name back in 1727 was Bark Flower – thank you, French botanist. in other european countries it was known as Witch Butter (essentially). bottom line is that i never would have expected to be so intrigued by slime mold. who the hell am i.
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The Afternoon Naturalist