It’s been a while since I’ve posted and I am trying to get better about that if for no other reason than to memorialize things for myself. Life gets in the way, though. A lot.
I took this picture of mycena haematopus - commonly known as bleeding fairy helmet - in the fall and continue to be amazed at the different forms I find of this. To the point that I am not really sure if it’s the same mushroom with lots of variations or a different type altogether. I need to get into the practice of making spore prints to help with identification but I really don’t like to pick or cut anything. My purpose is to document and preserve, but in order to do that, I may need to start spore printing.
This picture has become the cover of the little book I made, mostly for my neighbors, as a thank-you for everyone’s hard work to save our little patch of woods. We were successful in that the developer withdrew their plans to destroy our woods for a three-story town home project. While we are thrilled, we know the fight will never be over even though the last thing we need is more housing in an already overdeveloped area.
To that end, I am going to send a copy of my book to the land owner who gave me permission years ago to photograph in the woods but has no idea of what I’ve documented over the years. Maybe I can convince him to take it off the market. I will also send a copy to the Plan Commission whose members, gratefully, are very much about green space conservation and put the developer’s feet to the fire to be forthcoming about what the real plans were, which were not what they submitted, and to be prepared to save more trees than they said they would “if possible.” It was vague language and the Plan Commissioners picked up on it. So I want to show them, too, what they saved and, hopefully, will continue to work to preserve.
Mycena Haematopus - Bleeding Fairy Helmet