Magical world of the forest

A rather blurry shot, but I just couldn't bring myself to delete this little fungus family : )

I'm always happy to come across a group of these beautiful mushrooms. Love the fringe of white on the cap of the younger ones. Found these and a few other species in Brown-Lowery Provincial Park, SW of Calgary, on 17 August 2013. Apparently, 2013 was not a particularly good year for fungi, but I only got out maybe four or so times to look for them. So many places were closed due to devastation caused by Alberta's Flood of the Century in June. It was a strange and quite depressing summer for everyone, especially, of course, for all the many thousands who suffered damage to their homes or lost them completely.

It started to rain when I was driving to Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on 17 August 2013. It had cleared up by the time I got there, but the light was not good within the forest. I'm so glad I didn't turn around and head for home when the rain came, though, as I ended up seeing a group of three rare American Three-toed Woodpeckers. One of the three was definitely a juvenile, as every once in a while, it made a louder sound and the adult that was usually nearby would feed it. I was also lucky enough to see a pair of Ruffed Grouse - oh, and these fungi and a few others : ) There were several cars parked in the parking lot when I arrived, so I felt brave enough to go just a little further into the park than I normally go. So glad I did!