Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Puffball

This fallen log seems to be getting a good working over by various species of lichen, too. Today, 12 August 2018, has been a smoky day with much cooler temperatures. We even had a tiny spot of rain. Two days ago, on 10 August, it got up to 36.4C, which made it the hottest day EVER recorded in Calgary! The previous record was 36.1C in 1919. On top of the heat, the smoke from wildfires has been making the heat even more unbearable, as well as producing poor visibility - and poor air quality. Functioning in the heat, without air-conditioning, is not my strong point : ) Back to the bio-blitz on Lisa Harbinson' property for my photos tonight. I have just added six extra photos. I really need to get the rest of my suitable shots taken that day edited and posted, so that I can send her the link to my album. The area we visited on 7 August was an 80-acre site near Bottrel, NW of Calgary. The site consisted of mostly open, low, hilly, ungrazed land, with a few Aspens and Spruce, and willows around three ponds (two of which were dry). On 25 May 2018, four people had visited this site for the first time - I had been unable to go, as I was spending the day with my daughter. The original visit was the result of the owners winning a free bioblitz at a Silent Auction, in connection with the Ghost Valley Community. A great idea and always a win-win situation, with the land owners learning a lot about what is found on their land, and the leader and participants enjoying a much-appreciated visit to a different location. We were very lucky to see an adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with two juveniles. I rarely see one of these birds, but love to see the neat rows of small holes that they make on a tree trunk. Did you know that photographing mushrooms can be dangerous? I believe I knew this already and I was reminded of this on this bioblitz. Towards the end of our hike, I stopped to photograph a not particularly photogenic mushroom that was growing on a very slight incline. I took one step back to focus better and lost my balance - not sure if my foot went down into a shallow hole or if I was tripped up by one of the many very small, short tree stumps. Whatever the cause, I did a most inelegant, slow-motion fall backwards, hitting my head hard on the ground, surrounded by my friends. Because I was wearing a backpack, I think this resulted in some whiplash, with my head falling back. It was not pleasant to drive anywhere the next day, especially each time I had to start off when traffic lights turned green. The muscles all around my neck and my shoulders are painful, but hopefully it will clear up before too long.

This morning, 11 August 2018, it is such a smoky day from the wildfires in British Columbia, and our temperature is only 19C so far, just before noon. Yesterday, it got up to 36.4C, which made it the hottest day EVER recorded in Calgary! The previous record was 36.1C in 1919. On top of the heat, the smoke from wildfires is making the heat even more unbearable, as well as producing poor visibility - and High Risk for the air quality today. Functioning in the heat, without air-conditioning, is not my strong point : ) Back to the bio-blitz on Lisa Harbinson' property for my photos today. I really need to get the rest of my remotely suitable shots taken that day edited and posted, so that I can send her the link to my album. That means I might just edit a few more photos and add them later today. It's too smoky to venture outside, so this will have to be another day at home. The area we visited on 7 August was an 80-acre site (with 30 of that being hayfield) near Bottrel, NW of Calgary. The site consisted of mostly open, low, hilly, ungrazed land, with a few Aspens and Spruce, and willows around three ponds (two of which were dry). On 25 May 2018, four people had visited this site for the first time - I had been unable to go, as I was spending the day with my daughter. I believe this recent visit was the result of the owners winning a free bioblitz at a Silent Auction, in connection with the Ghost Valley Community. A great idea and always a win-win situation, with the land owners learning a lot about what is found on their land, and the leader and participants enjoying a much-appreciated visit to a different location. We were very lucky to see an adult male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker with two juveniles. I rarely see one of these birds, but love to see the neat rows of small holes that they make on a tree trunk. Did you know that photographing mushrooms can be dangerous? I believe I knew this already and I was reminded of this on this bio-blitz. Towards the end of our hike, I stopped to photograph a not particularly photogenic mushroom that was growing on a very slight incline. I took one step back to focus better and lost my balance - not sure if my foot went down into a shallow hole or if I was tripped up by one of the many very small, short tree stumps. Whatever the cause, I did a most inelegant, slow-motion fall backwards, hitting my head hard on the ground, surrounded by my friends. Because I was wearing a backpack, I think this resulted in some whiplash, with my head falling back. It was not pleasant to drive anywhere the next day, especially each time I had to start off when traffic lights turned green. The muscles all around my neck and my shoulders are painful, but hopefully it will clear up before too long.

"The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has a rare opportunity to protect a 640-acre (260-hectare) property neighbouring Alberta's capital city. In 1974, five families bought Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area — a parcel of land bordering Edmonton near the Devonian Botanic Garden. For 40 years the families cared for the land, protecting important habitat for moose and numerous other species. The five ownership families have generously offered to sell Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) for half the asset value. Their vision is to ensure that the land is conserved for our province; particularly for our children. Over the years Bunchberry Meadows has remained intact. But the surrounding lands and the city of Edmonton have undergone significant changes. Natural spaces in and around Edmonton continue to be developed. It’s increasingly difficult for city dwellers to find open green spaces to enjoy a sunny afternoon, or teach their children about the outdoors. The campaign for Bunchberry Meadows was officially launched in Edmonton on May 21, 2015. Since then, Edmontonians have stepped up in support so that this special community amenity can be created. Urban development on this property would mean the loss of habitat for many plant and wildlife species, and the loss of a wonderful space in which Albertans and all Canadians can reconnect with nature. In June 2016, the Bunchberry campaign was closed sucessfully. NCC willl open Bunchberry to the public in the fall of 2016 as a natural retreat for everyone to enjoy." www.natureconservancy.ca/en/where-we-work/alberta/feature... www.youtube.com/watch?v=FibqXugavrc Three days ago, on 17 September 2016, it was a long day, spent with a group of people - some of us travelled north from Calgary and others lived in or near the capital city of Alberta - Edmonton. Two friends had been invited to meet with members of the Nature Conservancy of Canada, to do a walk at a newly acquired 640 acre parcel of land, immediately to the east of the Devonian Botanic Garden. Edmonton is a three-hour drive north of Calgary, so it makes for a long drive when one goes for just a day trip. Set my alarm for 4:20 am. That, plus walking for several hours (my pedometer said 16,175 steps by the time I went to bed) completely knocked me out. One of the two friends I went with, Dr. Peter Whitehead (who drove us there and back, which was wonderful) is an ecologist and bryologist, founder of the Western Canada Bryophyte and Lichen Interest Group. Also, see the first link below about his exciting program for school children. www.seriousaboutscience.org/ www.ablig.com/ www.capeecology.ca/people.html The other friend I went with was Dr. Janet Marsh, Lichenologist. She is considered one of Canada's leading authorities on lichens. So, as you can see, I was in the company of extremely knowledgeable people. I'll add that I have been on many outings the last few years that have included both these specialists. Always most enjoyable and lots of fun! My big confession is that so many of the lichens that they find are growing in forests - and when I'm in a forest, my focus immediately turns to fungi! Which is why I still barely know anything about lichens : ) I do enjoy photographing them, however, and have quite a few in my photostream. This day, I was able to see a number of different fungi, which made my day. Not the sharpest photos of all of them - I guess the light in the forest was worse than I thought. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball The people of Edmonton and area are so very fortunate that this land is being preserved by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. What a beautiful area of meadows, bogs and forest! I especially liked the spectacular Birch trees that were growing there, with their beautiful peeling bark - some of these trees were quite large. Thanks so much to the Nature Conservancy of Canada for inviting us for this walk yesterday. I know you will receive extensive lists of the species that Peter and Janet found. Many thanks, Peter, for organizing this trip and for all the driving you did, too. I really appreciated the opportunity to visit this new area and capture a few species with my camera. Even the weather cooperated, giving us a very pleasant temperature for walking (around 18C?) and even the rain that had been falling in Edmonton, stopped for the rest of the day. A great day in great company!

Happy first day of FALL! Where did the summer go?? Yesterday morning, 22 September 2015, I was out with friends on a three hour birding walk at Mallard Point, Fish Creek Park. A beautiful sunny day, with the temperature between 8C and 13C, and 44 bird species were seen (not all by me, as usual). The American White Pelicans and the Cormorants are always favourites of mine. Will add the list compiled by the leaders: Canada Goose-40 Gadwall-4 American Wigeon-10 Mallard-30 Blue-winged Teal-12 Common Merganser-12 Ring-necked Pheasant-1 m. Pied-billed Grebe-1 American White Pelican-27+ Double-crested Cormorant-12 Osprey-1 Sharp-shinned Hawk?-1 Merlin?-1 BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER-1 Killdeer-2 Greater Yellowlegs-5 Franklin’s Gull-5 Ring-billed Gull-150 Rock Pigeon-2 Belted Kingfisher-2 Sapsucker sp.,-1 Downy Woodpecker-2+ Hairy Woodpecker-1 Northern Flicker-6 Olive-sided Flycatcher?-1 Blue Jay-2 Black-billed Magpie-6 American Crow-4 Common Raven-6 Black-capped Chickadee-8 Red-breasted Nuthatch-1 White-breasted Nuthatch-2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet-1 Swainson’s Thrush-1 Hermit Thrush-1 American Robin-60 European Starling-12 Yellow-rumped Warbler-1 White-throated Sparrow-1 Dark-eyed Junco?-1 House Finch-3 Pine Siskin-6 American Goldfinch-1 House Sparrow-4 After the walk, friend Sandy asked if I wanted to go back to the place SW of the city and SW of Millarville, where I had managed to spot (on 17 September) a group of three mature Amanita muscaria (Fly Agaric) mushrooms. We don't get the bright red ones with white dots here (the kind that you see in children's fairytale books), but we very occasionally come across a yellow or orangy one if we are very lucky. I think I have only ever seen these three times - at West Bragg Creek, Rod Handfield's land and I think Marsden Creek in Kananaskis. I was so longing to see one again and thought it was worth the drive just to check. Well, I found the field easily, but had forgotten about the sign there that said No Trespassing, No shooting, Patrol Area. I wasn't sure what Patrol Area meant, but I could almost imagine several Dobermans being released to attack me! I never go anywhere that has a No Trespassing sign, anyway. So, I walked through the trees along the edge of the field and tried to peer into the field, being careful not to catch the barbed-wire fence. I caught sight of a cluster of three fungi that looked like they were Amanitas, though they were fully "opened" and I couldn't see any spots. Only managed to get one really poor photo. Since then, I learned that this location is actually part of Rod Handfield's land - I thought it belonged to someone else. Rod had always told our botany group that we were welcome to explore his land at any time. When Sandy and I called in yesterday, we were able to check for any Fly Agarics - not a single one to be found this time, not even the three I had found the other day. Several years ago, there was quite a large patch of them right there. It's a bit late in the fungi season, unfortunately. We wandered through the forest just a little way - such a beautiful, rich forest floor. Found the little Puffballs in my photo growing on one of the logs. We have all reckoned that this forest is one of our favourites, with so many things to be found. However, for some reason, we haven't had any trips out there the last three or so years. "A puffball is a member of any of several groups of fungi in the division Basidiomycota. The puffballs were previously treated as a taxonomic group called the Gasteromycetes or Gasteromycetidae, but they are now known to be a polyphyletic assemblage. The distinguishing feature of all puffballs is that they do not have an open cap with spore-bearing gills. Instead, spores are produced internally, in a spheroidal fruitbody called a gasterothecium (gasteroid ('stomach-like') basidiocarp). As the spores mature, they form a mass called a gleba in the centre of the fruitbody that is often of a distinctive color and texture. The basidiocarp remains closed until after the spores have been released from the basidia. Eventually, it develops an aperture, or dries, becomes brittle, and splits, and the spores escape. The spores of puffballs are statismospores rather than ballistospores, meaning they are not actively shot off the basidium. The fungi are called puffballs because clouds of brown dust-like spores are emitted when the mature fruitbody bursts, or in response to impacts such as those of falling raindrops." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball Many thanks for driving out there yesterday, Sandy - much appreciated!

We came across this little group of Puffballs during a Fungi Foray day with friends out at West Bragg Creek on 24 August 2013. I'm always happy to see Puffballs, of any species. "The distinguishing feature of all puffballs is that they do not have an open cap with spore-bearing gills. Instead, spores are produced internally, in a spheroidal fruiting body called a gasterothecium (gasteroid ('stomach-like') basidiocarp). As the spores mature, they form a mass called a gleba in the centre of the fruiting body that is often of a distinctive color and texture. The basidiocarp remains closed until after the spores have been released from the basidia. Eventually, it develops an aperture, or dries, becomes brittle, and splits, and the spores escape. The spores of puffballs are statismospores rather than ballistospores, meaning they are not actively shot off the basidium. The fungi are called 'puffballs' because clouds of brown dust-like spores are emitted when the mature fruiting body bursts, or in response to impacts such as those of falling raindrops." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puffball

I know it doesn't make a really inspiring photo, but I did want to add this rather fine Puffball to my Fungi of Alberta Set. There were two of these growing in the middle of a huge grassy area/lawn on an acreage south of the city, near Millarville. Looked rather like a couple of golf balls from a distance, LOL.

This Puffball image is from my archives, taken on 22 August 2009, at West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis. The forest can be so dark and so many of my fungi photos are taken in low light, but I still remember how a tiny bit of sunlight was piercing the tree canopy, to fall just in the right spot. Well, fancy that, it's snowing heavily this morning (11:00 a.m.), ha. Missed yet another bird walk, as I just can't summon up any motivation to go walking in bad weather, taking photos in low light and then coming home and deleting them. Guess I need to change my attitude a little, right? I'm sure everyone is getting really fed up of this ongoing wintry weather! Cheer up, friends, the weather is going to change - it's going to rain : ) My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by the terrible explosions near the finish line at the Boston Marathon today. Such a tragic event. Must have brought back dreadful memories of 9-11 to so many people.

This was a rather nice Puffball, photographed when a few of us spent the day botanizing in the forest on Rod Handfield's property, SW of Calgary and W of Millarville. Not the most thrilling photo, but wanted to add it to two of my Sets : )

This was quite a neat row of little Puffballs - quite spiny ones. Photographed on a botanizing trip at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on August 20th.

Always one of my favourite fungi to come across, anywhere, anytime. Found this little cluster in the forest at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park on August 25th.

This was such a beautiful Puffball that we saw during a botanizing trip to the Small Whaleback on July 10th. It was growing on a hillside of wildflowers. There wasn't anything I could do to turn it into either an artistic or even photogenic shot, so here's the best I could do, ha. Isn't it a beauty, though? Must have been about 4" across.

We came across this little cluster of Puffballs on September 3rd, when we spent the day botanizing at Bragg Creek Natural Area, west of the city. I always think Puffballs are such amazing things, with their beautifully textured surface. There has to be some sort of incompatability between my computer and my friend's in England. Two days ago, I started getting the same (?) problem with my Inbox - two or three e-mails from England would not stop repeatedly sending. Had to just sit there and delete and delete - and watch another batch arrive. To say the least, this is not what I needed - and now I still feel completely drained and exhausted. All is OK (for now!). Which then, of course, turns my thoughts to wondering how on earth are the Japanese people dealing with all that has destroyed their lives? They are strong people and will overcome all this, but my heart and my prayers are with them each and every day.

This little stalked Puffball was maybe an inch in diameter, growing at Bebo Grove in Fish Creek Park three days ago. Love to see the spiny surface of these fungi. Apologies for replacing later - seemed strange that there was only one comment in 7 hours (same as with another photo posted this morning). I wondered if maybe my photos weren't showing up? I always feel so embarrassed when I do this just occasionally. "Typically, the interior of a puffball is composed of spore-bearing flesh. When the puffball matures it splits open, or a perforation develops on surface of the ball, through which the spores escape--when raindrops land on the puffball, via air currents, or by some other means." www.mushroomexpert.com/puffballs.html

Puffballs are one of my favourite fungi - love their roundness and the various patterns on them. This cluster was growing on 23rd August last year at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park.

This large puffball was growing out in the open, near a trail we were walking along on Erik Butters' ranchland on 28th September. Doug, hope you don't mind, but I've taken the ID you suggested on your photostream, with thanks. Calvatia bovista 'Pestle-shaped Puffball' (?).

A rather fine pair of Puffballs found along the Fullerton Loop trail, Kananaskis, on 29th August 2009.

This small, brown Puffball is a different one for me. If you have time, large size shows quite an interesting pattern, especially on the top - sorry, it's not as sharp as I would have liked! If you happen to come across a Puffball, it's worth checking it out closely, as patterns and details can be amazing : ) Seen on 12th September at the Bragg Creek Natural Area, west of Calgary.

I absolutely LOVE Puffballs! They come in so many different textures and patterns - to me, this one looks like it should be living at the bottom of the ocean instead of on the forest floor : ) Seen on 17th August at Brown-Lowery Provincial Park. Trying to give my very painful arms/shoulders a bit of a rest at the moment, hoping to avoid more serious problems : (