A Walk in the Woods: Downed Branches with Small Gifts from Sandy

Hurricane Sandy spared Vermont, bringing us some high winds and rain, but nothing extraordinary, as opposed to the damage of Irene last year; but oh, I weep for my poor home town of New York, and the Jersey shore where I spent so many summers. I took a walk in the woods today and was stopped, entranced, by a group of small branches that had been knocked down by the wind. They were covered with all kinds of fungi which I rarely see close to the ground, such as these brilliant yellow and red button-like growths.

Even this black fungus looked marvelous; it might be  Black Jelly Roll, and is accompanied by a small curled gray creature.

This is definitely one of the strangest things I've seen in the woods: I believe some kind of fungus which is hard and a bit velvety. It looks alive, like it will slink away across the wood and fallen leaves.

There were small shelf mushrooms with the most gorgeous purple....

and richly brown spores.

I become most excited, though, by the purples; they are so lush and surprising and rare. It is wonderful to see such glorious life coming from the debris of small deaths.


✺ as with all my posts, if you click on the images, you'll see them enlarged; it's really worth doing.