Ημερολόγιο της/του cosmiccat

Today I explored a little ten acre park in Longview, Akin Park. I picked this park because a creek runs through it, which means FISH! I didn't bring my fishing pole because I wanted to scout out the creek first.

I did bring my camera and tried to take as many pictures of plants and critters as I could. Like many parks in Longview, it looks like this park once was an abandoned homestead. There is an abandoned well, now capped for safety, and I could tell which part of the park was a garden. There are neat rows of Chinese privet, Nandina, and other introduced species that I photographed for documentation purposes since these are invasive. Nature has been taking the garden back over, sassafras and water oak sprouting among the rows. It's always interesting to find abandoned gardens in the wild places.

The creek itself was very low compared to Facebook photos of the park. It's only rained an inch in the past two months, I think. I saw a few deep places that look promising for microfishing.

I didn't stay long because the heat became unbearable. It's supposed to cool down on the 4th, so I'll probably go back then unless we are lucky and it rains. Overall, it was a nice little park and my favorite thing was watching a Great Crested Flycatcher take a dust bath in a dry creek. So cute!

Through trial and error, I have learned how to properly photograph mushrooms for ID.

First, photograph the mushroom from the top and the side. Then carefully dig up the mushroom. This will expose any underground structures. Then photograph the underside of the cap. If possible, bring a ruler with you to record size.

Note the texture of the mushroom. Is it dry or slimy? Sniff the mushroom. Is there any odor?

You will need to check for bruising, which is a color change when the mushroom is damaged. Squeeze the stem. You may have to wait a few seconds. Use a pocketknife to cut the underside of the cap. Does it change color? If your mushroom has gills and a milky fluid starts to leak out, it belongs to the genus Lactarius.

If the mushroom is on the ground, what kind of trees are growing around it? Most mushrooms will only be present around certain types of trees. If it's on wood, what kind of wood? Is the wood alive or dead?

This page has more details on note-taking: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/collecting.html

An important mushroom identification feature is the spore print color. How to make a spore print: http://www.mushroomexpert.com/spore_print.html Warning: most state and federal lands do not allow mushroom collection. Check with park rules before taking home a mushroom.