Fundamentals of Fungi: Baby Butter! Plus UFD!

Ermahgerd, you guys, it’s baby witches butter!

Image shows a tree trunk with a tiny patch of bright-orange fungus growing on it. The patch is only about the size of a pinkie nail.
Baby witches butter, with my index finger for scale.

This was at the entrance to the Temple Pond trail at Lord Hill Regional Park. That place has become our go-to spot for winter hiking. There are so many trails we haven’t even seen them all, and we’ve been out there several times. This time around, we did a bunch of the ponds, and it was perfectly lovely. We saw a woodpecker, and heard owls, and visited about a billion ponds (okay, maybe four or five). I’ll be doing up a full guide someday, but it’ll have to wait until after we’ve finished exploring the trails a few times.

Just down the trail, we found a couple of logs loaded with wood mushrooms.

Image shows a long log full of wood mushrooms, including on its sawn-off end. Another log lying on the ground is also covered.
Lookit all the wood shrooms!

I love it when the colonize the entire log, including the end.

Image is looking along the first log, showing the sawed-off end that is covered in wood shrooms.
Look at how they’re all growing on the sawed-off bit.

We were much further down the trail, deep in the urban wilderness, when we encountered our woodpecker. I think I know what sort of woodpecker it is, but am not completely sure, and will leave this video and blurry photo in your hands so that you can employ your own talents.

Image is a blurry photo of a woodpecker half-hidden behind the snag it's on. The belly is white, the top appears black. There's a bit of red on its head which is not visible here.
Unidentified Pecking Woodpecker

All I’m going to say about my suspicions is laundry.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to negotiate my release from the cat. She has decided my lap is hers, and I am not to get up for food, beverage, or bathroom.

Image shows Misha lying in my lap with her little forefeet stretched out contentedly. The computer is off to one side. I am trapped.
My boss sez no breaks.

If you don’t hear from me again, you’ll know I died of dehydration. Sigh.

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Fundamentals of Fungi: Baby Butter! Plus UFD!
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3 thoughts on “Fundamentals of Fungi: Baby Butter! Plus UFD!

  1. rq
    2

    The hairy woodpecker. The northwest variety apparently has less white along the back. Oh, and I would guess it’s a female, though once again, video quality leaves something to be desired in colour definition. ;)

  2. 3

    I agree, hairy woodpecker. The downy woodpecker is similar looking but smaller and appears to have a relatively shorter bill.
    That’s an amazing number of cavities in that tree it’s on. Sort of a Swiss cheese tree.

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