Explorations along Upper Bell Creek: June-July 2018 Southern Nantahala Wilderness Area |
All Text & Images: Copyright (2018) |
Various finds from several summer treks in the Upper Bell Creek vicinity of the Wilderness Area... Late June 2018: |
|
Skullcap (Scutellaria sp.) |
|
Indian Pipes, aka Ghost Flowers (Monotropa uniflora) |
|
I saw a nice variety of Coral Fungi (clavarioid) in the woods: |
|
Clavariaceae |
|
Clavariaceae |
|
Crown-tipped Coral (Artomyces pyxidatus) |
|
Clavariaceae |
|
There were also lots of other mushrooms - fungi: |
|
Button mushroom |
|
Unidentified |
|
A small Cup Fungi (left) and a Black Trumpet (Craterellus fallax) |
|
Orange Bolete(?) |
|
Fresh Bracket fungi on rotted log Perhaps Trametes pubescens... |
|
Unidentified mushroom |
|
Emerging Waxcap (Hygrocybe sp.)? |
|
Another with a cricket hiding underneath... |
|
Pair of unidentified mushrooms |
|
Perforated Ruffle (Parmotrema perforatum) lichen and broken Chanterelle |
|
Mid July: |
|
Green Woodland Orchids, aka Club-spur Orchids (Platanthera clavellata) I saw a number of these along the creek, but most were still in bud. |
|
More Black Trumpets, although this patch was pretty much gone by... |
|
Black Rat Snake (Pantherophis spiloides) |
|
I think it wanted me to rub its chin... |
|
I came across some weird fungi that looked like embryos of an alien creature. A three-week progression of photos follows: |
|
Gelatinous-covered fungi... |
|
Three days later, some of the coverings were cracking open... I later found out that these were a Calostoma species... |
|
Seven days after the first photo... |
|
Fourteen days after the first photo... The coatings had disintegrated, and the two on the left are showing yellow puffballs. |
|
Final image - twenty days after the first photo... Looks like something got into them... |
|
There were also a number of other Calostoma in the vicinity: |
|
Pair of Calostoma sp. |
|
A week later... |
|
Two weeks after the first image... I think this is Calostoma cinnabarinum. |
|
A few examples of another orchid seen in July: |
|
Downy Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid (Goodyera pubescens) |
|
By late July, the Woodland Orchids were fully in bloom: |
|
Green Woodland Orchids (Platanthera clavellata) |
|
July 30: |
|
Downy Agrimony (Agrimonia pubescens) |