Sure, it is Fall Colors time and the leaves in the woods are stunning. This year they seem to be particularly beautiful. People have described them as extraordinary.
Walking in the woods, or portaging your canoe through them, carries with it the possibility of all kinds of discoveries. The rain and wind has more than begun to knock down the color and the smell of disintegrating leaves on the forest floor is apparent. It’s time for yet another change.
When I walk in the woods, I spend a fair amount of time looking towards my feet. Most often this is because I want to be sure of my footing and make sure I don’t catch my toes on a root or turn my ankle on a rock. Both of these are very real obstacles that are responsible for more trail accidents and injuries than you might realize.
Looking down at the ground instead of focusing on the beautiful leaves this time of year actually lends itself to some beautiful discoveries that you may not expect. You might even see lichen on a tree trying to look like a mushroom 🙂
Mushrooms, Lichen, Moss, Fungi, and more fun finds lay at your feet or the feet of trees or as you can see, climb trees and thrive on downed trees. I’m no expert and frankly I don’t even know where all of the distinguishable lines have been drawn between these things — I just think they’re great to look at. Our bookstore carries a wide variety of Identification and Reference titles such as Lichens of the Northwoods, Canoe Country Flora, Entangled Life, Mushrooms Demystified, Ferns, and more.
What follows in a look at what the Autumn that has descended upon us and the first beginnings of the retreat of green has revealed. Sometimes it is okay to keep your head down…
Thanks for looking down with me. As always email us with your trip pictures and stories. We love to hear from you!
p.s. Tyler just gave me these photos from his own walk 🙂
UPDATE to BLOG ****************
We just received a new book that looks very interesting. It is now available online and in our retail store in Ely, Minnesota. Lichen Museum is the intriguing title.
Wonderful pictures – thank you for sharing these.
Thanks Gail