Fungi

In lieu of other things to post, I thought I'd share this pretty picture taken by Kathie. Because we have not gone to our lake home as early this year as in others, we have really enjoyed April and May here in Iowa. Quite a bit of our spare time has been spent working on our yard, which had not been well attended in recent years. We have the lawn looking better than ever, and planting areas and gardens have been spruced up. We have even been able to enjoy our asparagus patch for a change. Once Kathie recovered from her surgery enough to be outside, she spent lots of time weeding, splitting hostas, and replanting. The area around this tree is a good example. However, my motivation for posting the picture is to show you the fungi that have appeared for the first time ever on the south side of the tree. We don't know if some spores traveled along with the bark we used to dress up the area, or if recent wet conditions have created an especially good environment for their growth, or if this is some kind of signal about the health of the tree. In any event, they are interesting and, I think, add to the attractiveness of this spot. Maybe we have had these visitors every year, but because we are usually "up north" we have simply missed them before. Probably not, because I think these guys will dry up and stay on the tree henceforth. We shall see!