Earth Star

Yesterday, I spent the day with a small group of friends, doing the May Species Count for the Whaleback. This location is about 171 km south of Calgary, down towards Pincher Creek. I'm adding photos taken yesterday to a Set of photos that, up till today, contained images taken on the Small Whaleback on 10 July 2011. Yesterday, we covered the southern end of the Whaleback. The last image I posted this morning shows how the whole area is made up of endless hills, with the Rocky Mountains quite close in this very southern part of Alberta. It rained or drizzled all day, so I had to battle water spots in the camera lens as well as low light and wind. Many of my photos are not really as sharp as I would have liked, but I am so glad that I went. Three of these small Earth Star fungi came as a surprise. I usually see them in forests, not on hillsides. The Balsamroot, which we don't get further north, closer to Calgary, was just beautiful. A closer look at these plants revealed all the damage done to their leaves - we saw a couple of tiny, green, hairy caterpillars in the centre of one flower, but I'm not sure if these were two of the culprits. It was a good day, great company, a few interesting finds and glorious scenery to thoroughly enjoy. Andrew, I hope your back isn't too painful today - such a great pity that you had to miss out on just about everything. Thanks so much, Sandy, for the drive there and back - much appreciated, as always.

"The Earth Star is a striking soil fungus, so named because the outer wall of the spore-bearing body splits open into a star.

One metaphor refers to the rays standing on their tips, like a ballet dancer standing on their toes. Like other earthstars, the outer, leathery wall (peridium) splits open into the rays of a star, but the rays fold down into "legs" that support the spherical spore case that sits on a short stalk or pedicel. The rays are firmly attached to a clump of mycelium and leaf debris."
From "The Amazing Fungi " website.

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