Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Morchella

This morning, I am again posting four more photos taken a few days ago, on 7 June 2017, when a group of eight of us spent a wonderful day exploring Elbow Falls and Forgetmenot Pond, in Kananaskis. We drove west of the city into the eastern edge of the mountains, stopping at three different places, including a stop along the edge of the main highway, where we found beautiful Shooting stars and a few little brown cup fungi. I was thrilled to bits to notice a pair of these (Yellow?) Morel mushrooms at Forgetmenot Pond - I so rarely see them. These fungi are edible, but there are also false Morels and they are poisonous. As always, never, ever eat any kind of fungi unless you are an expert. Forgetmenot Pond is actually a man-made pond, left over from the excavation of a gravel pit. The water is crystal clear. It's just a short walk around the pond, but enjoyable to do. The main road this far into Kananaskis only opens in June each year, as a winter gate at Elbow Falls closes in December for the winter months, to protect the wildlife in the area. I found the following 4-minute video on YouTube, taken by Kenneth Lori using a DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter and taken on 16 June 2016. It travels over Forgetmenot Pond and the surrounding river and mountains. youtu.be/fEamf0nDXt4 What a great day we had! It was one beautiful find after another, and I think we all must have arrived back home at the end of the day, feeling happy and content. Dorothy and Stephen, as always, you planned a wonderful day for us and you even managed to arrange with the weatherman for beautiful sunshine and warmth, with an occasional welcome slight breeze. I still can't believe how lucky we were, seeing so many interesting things. In fact, I'm finding it difficult to decide what was the highlight for me. The Harlequin Duck, the distant Common Nighthawk flying high overhead, the two Morel mushrooms, the small cluster of beautiful brown jelly cup fungi?? And so on .... Great to spend a day with such a pleasant group of keen, interested people. Thanks so much, Dorothy and Stephen, for such a great day - my favourite kind of day : ) Thank you, also, for the ride and for the donuts you brought along for everyone to enjoy. Nice to end our day with a stop at the Cinnamon Spoon cafe in Bragg Creek, for a very welcome coffee.

The Morel of the story is ... "good things come to those who wait", LOL! I was ecstatic when friend Karel came across this beautiful Black Morel mushroom during a walk through the forest at Square Butte Ranch. There was just the one to be seen. I very rarely see any kind of Morel fungus, so this find really made my day. On the final list, this mushroom was named as Morchella esculenta (Yellow Morel), but was identified as a Black Morel under a photo taken by a very knowledgeable mushroom person who was there. My thinking is that Black Morel is more accurate. Morels are very popular edible mushrooms and are sought by many mushroom hunters. Warning, though: "Morels contain small amounts of hydrazine toxins that are removed by thorough cooking; morel mushrooms should never be eaten raw. It has been reported that even cooked morels can sometimes cause mild intoxication symptoms when consumed with alcohol. When eating this mushroom for the first time it is wise to consume a small amount to minimize any allergic reaction. Morels for consumption must be clean and free of decay." From Wikipedia. The day started very early for us on 3 June 2016, as a few regulars had been invited to visit the Square Butte Ranch for the very first time, to do a Bio-blitz. We had to be at the meeting place for 7:00 am for a day of exploration SW of Calgary. The sun was shining all day and the temperature was around 24C or 25C. Our leader creates a highly detailed list of all the plants, birds, insects, fungi, lichen, mosses that were seen during the few hours we were there. Can’t forget to include wildlife seen – one Red Squirrel : ) This list is sent to the person who invited us there as well as to the participants. This was a new place for us to explore, though over the years, we had been to several other acreages not too far away. We strolled over grassy meadows with ponds, and through forest covered in deep, soft mosses. Everywhere was a carpet of Dandelions in bloom and in seed. A few bird species were seen, including a Belted Kingfisher which landed at the top of a very tall coniferous tree, looking rather out of place so high up. List of birds seen, compiled by our leader: Canada Goose-4 ad/10 juv Mallard-1 f/1 juv Common Merganser-1 m Swainson’s Hawk-1 Red-tailed Hawk-1 Killdeer-1 Spotted Sandpiper-1 Great Gray Owl-reported by residents Belted Kingfisher-1 Pileated Woodpecker, evidenced by extraction of Carpenter Ants Gray Jay-2 Common Raven-2 Tree Swallow-4 Cliff Swallow-100+ Barn Swallow-6 Boreal Chickadee-1 Red-breasted Nuthatch-2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet-2 Winter Wren-1 Mountain Bluebird-8 American Robin-3 Tennessee Warbler-4 Chipping Sparrow-2 Clay-colored Sparrow-5 Savannah Sparrow-2 Song Sparrow-1 Brown-headed Cowbird-4 American Goldfinch-1 m “In the 1990’s, developers started transforming 480 acres of rangeland in the Foothills of the Rockies into a recreational ranch property operated as a bare land condominium. Architectural guidelines ensured that all buildings were designed in a rustic, western style featuring log and timber structures with large front porches, wrap around decks and hitching posts. The vision was one of owners being able to enjoy the fun and excitement of a western ranch living without the headaches.” www.squarebutteranches.com/

I was about to turn off my computer a short while ago, when I suddenly decided to post my "daily three" photos instead (12:45 am). My alarm clocks will be set for about 4:45 am, as I have a very early, half-day trip outside the city tomorrow. This is to someone's private property, where we have been several times over the last few years. This telemacro photo was taken the day before yesterday, 21 May 2015, on a very last-minute, totally unexpected trip out to Bow Valley Provincial Park. By 11:00 pm the previous evening, I still wasn't sure if I was going to be ready in time and also because I had only had about an hour and a half the sleep the night before that, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to manage it. The thought of going out there on a beautiful, sunny day was just too tempting and, after less than three hours sleep that night, I was up and ready to go the next morning. If I hadn't gone, I would have missed this find (not by me) and I know I would have been so disappointed. I haven't seen a Morel mushroom for several years and this absolutely made my day. The five friends I went with are all specialists in their fields of fungi, lichens, mosses and liverworts, so not only did they enjoy our day, but I did, too. They have special permits to collect specimens for their work, so I made the most of it by taking a telemacro shot. It was growing in such a "cluttered" place, that photos were difficult to get, though of course I did take several of it growing in place before it was "pulled", including this one. This year probably isn't going to be much good for fungi, as everywhere is bone dry, with a hot, dry summer in the forecast. The temperature this day got up to 22C. "Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them. The ascocarps are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly for French cuisine. Commercial value aside, morels are hunted by thousands of people every year simply for their taste and the joy of the hunt. Morels have been called by many local names; some of the more colorful include dryland fish, because when sliced lengthwise then breaded and fried, their outline resembles the shape of a fish; hickory chickens, as they are known in many parts of Kentucky; and merkels or miracles, based on a story of how a mountain family was saved from starvation by eating morels. In parts of West Virginia, they are known as molly moochers. Due to the partial structural and textural similarity to some species of the Porifera sponges, a common name for any true morel is sponge mushroom. Genus Morchella is derived from morchel, an old German word for mushroom, while morel itself is derived from the Latin maurus meaning brown." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella

This telemacro photo was taken yesterday on a very last-minute, totally unexpected trip out to Bow Valley Provincial Park. By 11:00 pm the previous evening, I still wasn't sure if I was going to be ready in time and also because I had only had about an hour and a half the sleep the night before that. The thought of going out there on a beautiful, sunny day was just too tempting and, after less than three hours sleep that night, I was up and ready to go the next morning. Today had to be a time for catching up on a little of the lost sleep this week, which is why I am posting so late today. If I hadn't gone yesterday, I would have missed this find (not by me) and I know I would have been so disappointed. I haven't seen a Morel mushroom for several years and this absolutely made my day. The five friends I went with are all specialists in their fields of fungi, lichens, mosses and liverworts, so not only did they enjoy our day, but I did, too. They have special permits to collect specimens for their work, so I made the most of it by taking a telemacro shot. It was growing in such a "cluttered" place, that photos were difficult to get, though of course I did take several of it growing in place before it was "pulled". This year probably isn't going to be much good for fungi, as everywhere is bone dry, with a hot, dry summer in the forecast. The temperature this day got up to 22C. "Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them. The ascocarps are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly for French cuisine. Commercial value aside, morels are hunted by thousands of people every year simply for their taste and the joy of the hunt. Morels have been called by many local names; some of the more colorful include dryland fish, because when sliced lengthwise then breaded and fried, their outline resembles the shape of a fish; hickory chickens, as they are known in many parts of Kentucky; and merkels or miracles, based on a story of how a mountain family was saved from starvation by eating morels. In parts of West Virginia, they are known as molly moochers. Due to the partial structural and textural similarity to some species of the Porifera sponges, a common name for any true morel is sponge mushroom. Genus Morchella is derived from morchel, an old German word for mushroom, while morel itself is derived from the Latin maurus meaning brown." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morchella

Yesterday late afternoon, I decided I would walk into Burnsmead, Fish Creek Park. When I eventually arrived, the heavens opened and I was soaked to the skin in just a few minutes. More rain today - to be expected, as this is our rainy season, but it's getting very monotonous and frustrating : ) Anyway, I was thirilled to come across at least part of the Great Horned Owl family there - Dad was sitting about head level and one of the two young ones was down on the bank of a flooded, steep ditch. I might post one shot of the fledgling, for my own record, but the quality is awful thanks to the torrential rain and very low light. Walking out of the park and back to my car, I couldn't believe my eyes when I noticed several Morel mushrooms at the edge of the very muddy area where huge trucks have been back and forth, working on the ponds. I suspect that the huge tires may have driven over some of these mushrooms, as several were broken off at the base of the stalk. I rescued this one and borrowed it till I go back to the area : ) Normally, this is something I would never do, but my camera had already got wetter than it should have been! Lol, I'm beginning to feel as though I'm the only person who has never eaten Morel mushrooms! I have several photo projects (requests) that I have just started working on - always very time-consuming, as many of you will know. One involves "Save the Weaselhead", a group that is trying to prevent an enormous multi-lane road/bridge from being constructed right through the Weaselhead wildlife park. The city wants to build a western Ring Road and they think Weaselhead would be the way to go. This would be so devastating to both wildlife, flora and fauna, as well as to people. I've just started getting together photos of rare or uncommon/at risk species to be sent to Save the Weaselhead. I'm sure these photos won't mean anything to the City, but they might help encourage residents to fight even more to save this precious area that is enjoyed by so many people all year round. Unfortunately, I have three very long-day trips Friday (tomorrow), Saturday and Sunday, so won't be any good for anything for the next few days. Sounds like all three days will be raining : ( www.saveglenmorepark.com/index.php/situation