Mushroom Madness + Post Of The Month Club

Posted by Happy Homemaker UK

In England, we are definitely having an 'Indian Summer' right now - a welcome warm spell

I was surprised to hear the English use the term 'Indian Summer',

for I always assumed the phrase was a Native American reference

But maybe they are referring to the country of India where it is hotter?

Living here often tests what I think to be true...

So I 'wiki-ed' it, and sure enough, 

'Indian Summer' is an American colloquialism that jumped across the Atlantic

Not only am I doing the 'happy dance' about the sunny warm weather
but also for the annual autumn return of

{ the magical Fly Agaric Toadstool }

I had assumed these only existed in fairy tales, until last year when

I nearly peed in my pants when I stumbled upon my first ones!

As large as saucers, these toadstools are as poisonous as they are beautiful

Traditionally, pieces of the mushroom were floated in milk to attract & kill flies

Not that you would eat one, but if you did
you'd find yourself with stomach cramps, hallucinations, or worse
{oh my}

Here is how the Fly Agaric peeks its head as it emerges

As it ages, its top becomes concave and serves as a bowl for catching rain water

Don't you just love nature and all the multi-layers it offers throughout the year?!

Here is another beauty I spied in the woods

(I won't use the word 'forest' for it is actually a legal term - who knew?)

I had to lift my camera up to capture these lovelies

This ancient beech tree reminds me of the tree from the film 'Avatar'

To be honest, I don't have a sufficient wide-angle lens to capture its grandeur

Thanks for tromping through heath and woods with me :)

- all photos by me -
---

Welcome to our September Post Of The Month Club!

I am pleased as punch you are here :)

Time for our meet & greet

* Bloggers, just link up your best post of the month *

And see, you've already done the work

* Share the love by dropping by a few other blogs and say 'hi',
if you can *

* Would my nifty button be a nice addition to your lovely sidebar or post? *

Yep, we'll do this the last day of each month

* Don't forget to become a follower here too *

Don't be shy
Jump in :)

Happy October Blogging, you ray of autumn sunshine, you

P.S. I have family in town, so I may be delayed in reading your post
but I will drop by in the next few days :)