Nature Moment – Early Fall in My Backyard

The shift from summer to fall is beginning here in North Florida. Not that we get a proper fall here. There’s a slight transition from hot to cool, but that’s about it until winter kicks in. However, my yard is still seeing some remnants of summer. Late blooms, a few mushrooms, and wildlife looking to bulk up before hiding away from the cold.

Around fifteen years ago, I got the idea that I needed to spread some mushroom compost on my lawn. I’m not a fan of chemical fertilizers and I was looking for a eco-friendly alternative. I discovered a place on the other side of town that would fill the back of my old pickup truck (R.I.P., now long gone) with fresh mushroom compost for $20. Not a bad deal. 

The compost did the trick and my yard and garden areas have been thriving ever since. However, an unexpected side effect is that I get all sorts of mushrooms popping up here and there. Of course, I’m not a fungus expert, so I’m not willing to take a chance at sampling any of these, but they are beautiful to look at. 

These yellow ones showed up on an old pine tree stump in the backyard. They weren’t there one day, then bam, bright yellow the next. My understanding is that they help with the decomposition of the wood. Hopefully, they’ll dine well and the stump will be gone by next spring.

Earlier this summer, we had a section of our front yard cleared of trees and underbrush. It was a divider between our yard and the neighbors, but we wanted to clear it out to allow for more sunlight. I’m guessing these gray mushrooms – an army of them – decided to get to work on what was left of one of the tree stumps. The person we hired did a good job of clearing everything out, but there must have been just enough of a stump left for these guys to feast on. Much like the yellow mushrooms, they appeared overnight and seem to be quite happy in their location.

Then there’s this red thing that looks like it escaped from a Mario World (it’s a video game reference). I have no idea what it is, but I do know that, in nature, red generally means “don’t touch”. It’s an interesting-looking fungus, though. Weirdly, it only lasted a day. When I went to look at it the day after this photo was taken, it looked like it had disintegrated into mush. I guess it has a short life cycle. Or maybe Mario stopped by to get a power-up. 

And I was surprised to see some late-season growth from one of my pitcher plants. A handful of new pitchers sprung up (probably due to all the rain we’ve had lately). I was on the patio the other day with the dogs and noticed a lizard hiding along the spine of one of the new pitchers. I assume he was hoping to grab an unsuspecting insect before it ventured into the trap. The little guy was doing a good job of camouflaging himself.

I’ve also had a morning glory vine appear on the south side of my yard. It seems to really like the new privacy fence we had built a few months ago. I’ve been debating on whether or not to pull the vines or let them grow. On one hand, they may take over the fence and become a nuisance. But on the other hand, they do have beautiful flowers. I think I’ll let them go for now and make a decision next spring.

Finally, here is a closeup of one of the mushrooms I found growing in a wildflower bed I have in the back. The mushroom itself wasn’t very interesting to look at – just a typical fungus – but it warranted an up-close shot. I found the texture of the skin to be interesting and I think I may try to use this as inspiration for a painting. I think it sort of looks like one.

Wherever you are, I hope you get a chance to get outside soon, experience nature, run your hand along the trunk of a tree, smell some wildflowers, and maybe forget the daily stress for a little while. And if you like any of my photos, please let me know in the comments. 

RB