Somme Woods is a wonderful place to hike. It is quiet, and there are so many plants and critters to see. I first encountered this gem of a place when I decided to randomly volunteer with Habitat 2030 in this location. The group of Somme volunteers are so dedicated, and many of them are involved in other stewardship roles in the area. They're a truly inspiring bunch!
This year, Somme Woods was extra special because I met up with two people I follow on Instagram, Michelle and Theresa. We went on a hike and had a great time! I actually thought of this location for mushroom hunting because, at the end of our hike, we came across interesting mushrooms. We also saw Arisaema dracontium (my first time seeing it!) and A. triphyllum.
When I returned to Somme in search of more cool fungi, I was not disappointed! Some mushrooms were small and easy to miss if you weren't paying attention.
Aside from the occasional person walking their dog and people briskly walking the trails initially, I was alone. I enjoyed the quiet of the woods, and took my time wandering the trails. Being in a shadowy thicket of trees with sunlight illuminating leaves makes for such and incredible contrast, and during much of my hike I enjoyed this sight.
My most favourite fungi that I came across were these intersting cups. I am no mycologist, as I've mentioned before, but I hope to learn more about mushrooms. If anyone knows what these might be, feel free to let me know. I assume they are different species at the very least, but for all I know they could also be different genera. They were stalkless as far as I could tell.
The amount of mushroom diversity at Somme was astounding. Petrifying Springs had some really cool fungus, but some of these were just so bizarre-looking!
After I emerged from Somme Woods into the parking lot, I felt happy and at peace. A simple walk through a forest gives me so much joy, and I am incredibly thankful to have many places to connect to nature.
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There were so many pictures that I'll just link to the rest of them:
Click here for more photos.
Some unfortunately came out blurry. That happens a lot, actually, for one reason or another. I usually use an old Olympus 1010 camera, or my phone (and a macro lens at times), so I don't have the best equipment. I also usually have issues with keeping my hands steady. I typically remove anything blurry or otherwise unappealing, but I'll leave these in since I don't have any other pics to share of the neat mushrooms I came across.
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I hope in the spring I'll have luck finding more interesting mushrooms!
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