Bolete The Heat!

This week has been wonderful...  And then the heat wave came in.   We went from cool 50's in the morning to a sultry, hot 90+ today!   With a terribly high humidity...   Nice thing the hot weather waited until the weekend...  the only two days we get to enjoy without being at work.

Time to Run.

I don't want to complain about the air-conditioning.   I'm quite thankful for it.  But to waste it on pleasant days and then have he heat hit us during our time off is evil!   Grrr.   ( As you can see,  the heat has effected my temperament.)

Time to Mushroom!

Ok, now that the venting is over,  I can focus on what happened today.  First,  It has been a busy day as we have to cram in all  of our errand into this small block of time before going back to work on Monday.  So!   Cheryl ran 10 miles,  We went to the bank before noon ( close time on weekends) visited a few stores, and had time to hunt a few mushrooms!

Cheryl's collection.  So cute!

It had been raining off and on since last Wednesday.  With that dumping of rain, the mushrooms have had a serious bloom!  We did a little looking last night as well.   I was impressed that we are still finding Chanterelles and Field Boletes.   Not to mention that the Golden Oysters are having a final bloom in places we did not know they were established!   Cheryl says it is because earlier this Summer, I picked a few up and inoculated a few logs and fallen trees.  I have to say, I'm impressed if I caused all of that with just stuffing a few mushrooms between cracks and bark.

Clean off the Dirt.... 

My collection... kind dirty. 

When we finally got home,  I cooked up all of the Boletes and Chanterelles.  Cheryl harvested a few mushrooms for a project, but mostly,  I ate all the edibles.  I have never had this many Boletes in one setting.  Usually because we only find a few at a time...  or they are really small.   But today I was able to indulge! 

Drying Goldens..

Fry the ALL!   Muhhahhaha!

After eating so many Golden Oysters,  I was willing to take a break from them.  Not that they are bad....  just the opposite.   But eating too much of anything will creep up on you.  So I was more hat willing to change to another species of Mushroom.

"Bolete" Omelette. with cherry tomatoes.

Just add eggs and "healthy stuff" 

Small side note:   Cheryl tells me that the Boletes that stain blue sometimes have trace amounts of Cylocybin.   However, you would have to eat a boat load of them to feel the effect.   I feel nothing, so I'm guessing a full frying pan is not enough to cause hallucinations.   To bad.

Maybe I should follow directions...  This time. 

Old Bike rack

New Folding (expensive!) bike rack. 

I should also mention that we purchased a new Bike rack from Scheels.   I swapped out the bike rack and can't wait to enjoy it tomorrow...when Cheryl runs really really long.

Me... without the smile

The steps I failed to follow...

I would have biked along side her today, but the extension on my handlebars came loose and I ended up walking the 1.5 miles back to the car.  In the heat, I was not having a very good time. But it all worked out somehow.  ( If I was not so tired, I would make that story an entire blog posting of its own!) Instead, I'll let some pictures form a teaser.

Lesson learned. 

Hope everyone is staying cool if the heat wave is hitting you in your area.  That Humidity is killer!   Stay sane and thanks for stopping in.

The B-Team Blog Post Topics.

Kewash Exploration.

Running Wednesday.

So much happens that simply does not make it into the blog.   Either I don't have time to explain or I don't have time to post... Either way,  My computer has a bunch of "items" that are unique and deserve a mention.  If for nothing else than to remind myself ot these events.

Still flowering.

Hops? 

HOPS!   They are not out yet.  This week,  Cheryl and I went out to the Kewash Trail and discovered that the Hops are still in flower.   I guess last year they were out in October...So we will have to check back then.   But for the moment,  I wanted to note that this is what Hops look like before the form those cute, tasty little cones.

Hops Flower

Wild Plumbs 

Wild Plumbs?   The Wild Plumb tree managed to ripen up a few.   Even with that one wasp stinging all the small fruits.  I tasted one of the purple ones and it was sweet.  Similar to one you may find in the store.

Wasp sting visible.

Still tasty!  Just like the ones back home.

 We used to have a very small tree in our own yard growing up.   It rarely produced plumbs because of that darn wasp killing all the fruits.  Still,  it is fun to enjoy a "trail side nibble" as Cheryl says.

See the Frog 

How about now?

Ever see a tree frog in Iowa?   Possibly because they are so small and well hidden.   But this little guy was visible to me.   I was looking out for mushrooms and Poison Ivy when I spotted him.   So cute! 

Fog hides the City.

CHeryl enjoys the humidity.

Speaking of Poison Ivy... Cheryl found some.   First on her ankle and now on her knee.   She says that only the small spot on her knee itches.   I have been lucky  enough to only be stung by the nettle.   She has been treating it with various lotions to help it pass along quicker.  We shall have to be more careful on our little mushrooms hunts.

Fog hides the Lake!

15 miles Done!

Foggy days during the week!   It was overcast yesterday and most of today.  But last Wednesday, it was seriously foggy.   Cheryl went out for a run at the Trueblood trail, but the humidity still made it uncomfortable.   But Cheryl would rather run in the humidity without the sun shining.   That sun certainly heats things up.

Cheryl spies a Bolete.

Coral Mushroom.

Lots of them.

Violet Polypore.

And finally,  Mushroom Mayhem!   While in Wisconsin, we took the remainder of Friday to walk around one of the local Bike trails.   We discovered that Wisconsin must have had a good rain earlier, because the ground was still quite wet and the mushrooms were out!

Cute Bolete

A larger Bolete.

We found many....  Most of them were past their prime, but we still managed to ID a few of them.   There were Corals and Boletes.  ( Lots!)  Some Wood Ears and slime molds. 

Yellow pores on underside.

Cup Mushroom.

We discovered a few Cup mushrooms and possibly false Chanterelles.  ( verdict is still out on that one though.) We could not bring any home, so we were content enough to take their pictures and leave the rest.

The larger Bolete.  Not sure exact name.

Two Small Field Boletes.

VERY fishy Smelling Polypore

They grow on trees.  Shelf Mushrooms.

I found one Shelf Polypore that had a VERY distinctive Fish smell.   In many of the Identification books, they mention "smells like fish" as a key identifyer.   This Shelf Polypore I split open and it smelled like Fresh Bluegill Fish GUTS!   Very distinct!   I still do not know what mushroom it was, but I doubt it would be edible.

Very large Birch Trees!

Very large Cottonwoods.

The Cottonwood trees are immense there.  I posted a picture of the Cottonwoods when they were in bloom.  It appeared to be snowing there.   Some of those trees were very tall and had a large base.

Jelly Mushroom.

Unknown, but fresh mushroom.

Has purple-ish gills wide, varied length.

Top View

Possible Slimy cap.   White gills, slimy top. 

Possible false chanterelle.

Note the Gills,  branching.  Not ridged.

Cheryl and I lost track of time looking for Mushrooms out there.   There were enough Boletes to possibly have a small meal.   Usually we find one or two of them during our hunts in Iowa.   I think we maight have been able to find even more had we explored off the path.

Petal type cap.  White instead of  egg yolk.

Can you see the Mink?    Me Either. 

One last thing,   It is a rare sight to see a Mink in the wild.   They are elusive and enjoy places most people do not like ( like swamps) but Cheryl spotted one while we crossed a small stream.   It was obviously a Mink swimming around searching through the little nooks and crannys of theroots near the banks.   Very cool.  I was not able to snap a picture of him since he disappeared into the shadows shortly after.   The pictures I did take did not reveal much.

Tomorrow, Cheryl and I begin another Project with Pearson.  This project may prove to be the last of the year...so we will have to make the most of it while we can.    Other than that, We biked 15 miles and are currently enjoying our slothful day of rest as we gear up for another week of work.   I'm hoping things go well and we will get to hang out with co-worker friends once again.   Thanks for stopping in.