Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: like a goblet

With a weather forecast of rain then mixed precipitation for a few days (8-10 September 2014), there were a couple of places that I thought I had better get to straight away. The first one was Brown-Lowery, to check if there were any mushrooms. I had been there recently, and only found a couple of things. My visit on 6 September was slightly more rewarding and I found several large clusters of tiny mushrooms growing on tree stumps or at the base of trees. Also found several patches of bright orange Coral Fungi, and the little "goblet" in this photo. I liked that the small insect just below the rim was the same colour as the upturned mushroom gills. Quite a few people were in the park, so I felt safer going a very short way in. Far enough, as it turned out, to watch a rare adult and a juvenile Three-toed Woodpecker feeding together on a tree trunk. The young one was copying Mom or Dad, but its soft squeaking sound resulted in the adult feeding it, too. On the way home, I decided to call in at Fish Creek Park, hoping to find a Beaver or a MInk that a friend had told me about (thanks, Phil!). Though I did see a couple of Beavers, I wasn't able to get a decent photo of them (see a photo uploaded today). One of them was a huge animal - this was the one that was recently found in a trap, biting off one of its front legs/feet that was caught in the trap. Someone had been there when this was happening and she made several reports about it. Thanks, Linda, for doing this. Such a cruel way to deal with any Beaver problem! The now three-legged animal seems to be doing OK. I was luckier with the Mink, catching it in a couple of very quick shots.

I LOVE mushrooms that look like small goblets or bird baths in the forest. This absolute beauty was growing at the Waiparous trails, NW of Calgary, when a few of us spent the day botanizing the area on 31 August 2012. And, yes, I wish I had removed the twig before taking the photo, but I seem to remember that I was feeling just too tired and painful to bend down, plus I have to try and keep up with the group : )