From My Perch: 2011

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Mushrooms and Lichens

I have been taking pictures of mushrooms and lichens since 2003. Mostly it is the color of the mushroom or shape of the thing that catches my eye. Rarely, did I identify those pictures but here are some....

First, I had to find some field guides and I took out some books from the library. These are the ones I found from public libraries and colleges from all over the state.
Peterson Field Guide to Mushrooms
National Audubon Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
Demystified Mushrooms
Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America
Mushrooms of Northeast North America
Mushrooms of Northeastern North America
Lichens of the North Woods

I discovered that the identification of mushrooms and lichens is much harder than that of birds. A photo helps with birds but in mushrooms, you have to photograph the setting with the fungi, then look under them or actually dig up the mushroom to look underneath at the gills, stem and root. So far I have not started to dig them up. However, I have stepped on them especially puff balls to listen whether they would pop.

Lichens are vegetation found all over the world and are a very important indicator of the health of air quality which I didn't know. I did know that lichens are used as nest building material for hummingbirds. Lichens grow on rocks, trees and the ground. Often, lichens have wonderful colors and their dyes were used in the Harris Tweed until 1970.

Oddly, my first picture was of a lichen called British Soldiers. In all the wars in Canada and the US, the British soldiers were often called Redcoats and when you see the red caps on this lichen, you can see why it is called that and also why I took the picture.

Photo taken at Tawas SP, MI on 5/23/2003

British Soldiers - Cladonia cristatella

Close up of British Soldiers

I have another lichen growing and spreading in my garden and I am not sure why. It has a fruiting body or flower like part that is yellow. I will have to take it's picture. So far, though, I have not identified it.

The Common Greenshield grows on bark in the sun or partial shade. You can see it on many trees.

Photo taken at Pickerel Lake Preserve, MI on 11/12/2011

Common Greenshield - Flavoparmelia caperata

Mushrooms belong neither to the plant nor animal kingdom but belong to the kingdom of fungi. It is the fruiting body of a growth that usually appears above the ground and contains spores. The identification process requires determining whether it has gills or not, the shape of the cap and stalk, presence of veil. Complete identification cannot be done in the field or by photo. You must dig up the mushroom, take it home and overnight create a spore print. So I will not be identifying all of my photos.

On a short stop at Seney NWR in 2009, I saw all of the following mushrooms:

Photo taken at Seney NWR, MI on 9/10/2009

Amanita species - Most in this family are poisonous!

Amanita species

Bolete species - Many in this family are edible

Bolete species

Russula species

Lentinus species - very large

On a hike this fall at Pickerel Lake Preserve I saw these Shelf or Bracket fungi:

Red-belted_Polypore - Fomitopsis hepatica

Pickerel Lake Preserve, MI on 11/12/2011

Polypore species

Probably my most favorite pictures were taken in a hole of a tree in my yard. This mushroom was at least 6" across. And what a lovely name for it.

Photo taken at Murray Lake, MI on 10/18/2008

Angel's Wings - Pleurocybella porrigens

Angel's Wings

Even with 6 references on mushrooms, it was next to impossible to identify these pictures because I had not dug them up. Don't think that I will, but I will continue to photograph them when the color or shape is noticeable.

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars

All images © MSCI

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Reptiles - Snakes & Gator

My first encounter with a venomous snake was at Corpus Christi's Botanical Gardens. We were walking the back trails looking for birds. Suddenly this snake moved into the center of the path and we both stopped dead in our tracks. It was a rattlesnake for sure and this was his path! He would not move away and it took several short sticks (there were no dead trees here) thrown at him to disturb him enough that he left the path. Of course, we were determined not to turn around but could not go past him either.

Generally, I hear and see snakes as the slither away from the trail. That is how I saw my Texas Coral Snake. It was on or near the path but we had not seen him. Only when he was moving away in the grass, did I see him and managed only one picture.

The Western Ribbon Snake was very small, less than a foot is my guess. It was hiding or whatever snakes do in a small hole in the log. I think it came out of its hole to check me out. I was moving around this area, photographing butterflies and dragonflies. As soon as I got the camera focused on him, he slipped back into his hole but only after I captured him with the camera.

The only other reptile that we see all over the southern US, is the American Alligator. I remember our first trip to Louisiana in 2002 and we started to see alligators along side of the road in the ditches. We stopped counting when we reach 100 in 25 miles or so. Big ones and little ones.

In that same trip, we were in Sabine NWR and a 15+ foot gator was sunning himself in the path. He also would not move but he was less threatening than the rattlesnake and we managed to skirt around him to continue on the trail.

Photo taken at Corpus Christi Botanical Gardens, TX on 4/5/2006

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake - Crotalus atrox

Texas Coral Snake - Crotalus atrox

Western Ribbon Snake - Thamnophis proximus

American Alligator - Alligator mississippiensis

The references and gear I used for this blog are:
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars

All images © MSCI

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Amphibians - Frogs

Herpetology - the branch of zoology dealing the study of reptiles and amphibians or creeping animals. This word derives from Greek herpeton = creeping animal or from herpein = to creep. Interesting, all the different things we can study.

The California Red-legged Frog is an endangered species. In 2004, we met 2 zoologists or rather herpetologists who were also birding (ornithologists) at Point Reyes National Seashore. Today, they were birding on their day off but they were also checking on the frogs at Abbott's Lagoon and we saw several of these endangered frogs. Since the camera was in my hands, I took a few pictures.

This frog species was once very abundant in California and was a favored amphibian in Mark Twain's short story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County written in 1865.

But my interest in frogs starts with Blanchard's Cricket Frog which I saw this spring in Texas. I was impressed with the emerald green stripe on its back. This is a subspecies of the Northern Cricket Frog.

I have seen other frogs, including the Rio Grande Leopard Frog, but did not get good pictures.

Blanchard's Cricket Frog - Acrins crepanis blanchari

American Toad - Bufo americanus

California Red-legged Frog - Rana aurora draytoni

Green Frog - Rana clamitans

Bull Frog - Rana catesbeiana

Back in 2007, I wrote a blog about the next frog, a Gray Tree Frog.

Photo taken at Murray Lake, MI on 6/2/2007

Gray Tree Frog - Hyla versicolor

All images © MSCI

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Reptiles - Turtles

For years, I have been taking pictures of turtles that come up out of the lake onto the lawn and garden to lay their eggs. I have not done anything with the identification of these images. Most of these images were clicks in passing, where I did not put much effort in getting a good image of the turtle.

But now I have this field guide from the library with Frogs, Turtles, Lizards, Snakes, etc. It really is quite good. The pictures do not show all the species or sub-species but the text is excellent. I will have to try to find a copy to add to my own reference library.
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians

I also found this website that helps you with identifying your turtle with key criteria and pictures.
Turtle Identification

All of my good images are from Michigan but we see turtles everywhere we travel. I will have to pay more attention to them now.

Photo taken at Murray Lake, MI on 6/16/2002

Blanding's Turtle - Emydoidea blandingi

Spiny Softshell Turtle - Trionyx spiniferus

Common Map Turtle - Graptemys geographica

Painted Turtle - Chrysemys picta

Monday, August 29, 2011

Reptiles - Lizards

I took my first lizard photo in 2005 in New Mexico and then a couple more in 2008. However, this year in Texas, it was hot and I saw many lizards. The lizard that started me on the hunt was the Texas Horned Lizard. My husband saw it in the middle of the park road in Seminole Canyon SP and came to get me - with my camera. This lizard and some of the others stayed perfectly still while I took their picture. Others are gone in a flash. I know several of them did not get their picture taken.

When I reviewed my photos at home, I knew I had to get some reference guides. I searched the library databases and put out hold requests for all the guides I could find. They came from all over Michigan. One book from CMU was placed in the library in 2002 and I am the first person to check it out of the library. However, the guides were not comprehensive enough, so I found 2 websites where people were willing to help me with the ID.

These were the books and websites that I found:
Lizards of the American Southwest
National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians
Handbook of Lizards: Lizards of the United States and of Canada
Amphibians and Reptiles of Texas
Austin Reptile Service
Ribbit Photography and Wild Herps

Why lizards? Whatever is in my camera view finder, is a "clicking" moment. There are over 100 different species of lizards in North America, plus many sub-species. Texas has quite a number of lizards or their sub-species. Now I have captured 9 different species and sub-species in images.

See the clicks below.

Green Anole - Anolis carolinensis

Texas Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma cornutum

Greater Earless Lizard - Cophosaurus texanus

Texas Greater Earless Lizard (sub-species) - Cophosaurus texanus texanus

Texas Spiny Lizard - Sceloporus olivaceus

Texas Rose-bellied Lizard (sub-species) - Sceloporus variabilis marmoratus

Southwestern Fence Lizard - Sceloporus cowlesi

Big Bend Tree Lizard - Urosaurus ornatus schmidti

Common Spotted Whiptail - Aspidoscelis gularis

The references and gear I used for this blog are:

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Lens: Canon EF100-400mm F4.5-5.6L IS USM
Camera: Canon EOS 10D
Lens: Canon EF28-105mm F/3.5-4.5 II USM
Steiner 10x42 Predator Binoculars

Monday, August 15, 2011

Butterflies - Royalty & Ladies

Royal butterflies? Well, we have a Monarch, a Queen and an Empress. There is an Emperor or two but I haven't seen him, yet. Next, we have very important rulers and commanders like the Admirals and the Viceroy. Lastly, we have the Ladies - American Lady, Painted Lady and West Coast Lady. So far, I have seen only one Lady. I thought I had a picture of the Painted Lady but alas I don't. The difference between the American Lady and Painted Lady is so small, that I had misidentified some of my pictures for awhile.

You can see that some them are closely related when they have the same first Latin or Scientific name.

All of these butterflies are in the Brush-footed family.