Monday, October 12, 2009

Sept. 27th... 'shroomin' with Jef

We took a much needed class on mushrooms, taught by Boston area naturalist Jef. C Taylor, god of all things Naturey. (His excellent blog can be found here) We learned a great deal about the subject and put it to use on a short but educational walk around Drumlin Farm with Jef and the other students.

Herping in the field is often about spotting movement (when not flipping) so training the eye for mushrooms took some getting used to. We were barely on the trail before Jef brought something to our attention... the largest snapper that I had seen all year!
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This bruiser was quite the beauty and didn't mind my getting into her face for that second (uncropped) shot.

In addition to some interesting 'shroomage, Drumlin Farms had a lot of beauty to offer.
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After the class, we roamed the area, looking for herps and more mushrooms.

We found a peeper
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and a Green Frog.
Green Frog
Not to mention a Dagger Moth Caterpillar
Dagger Moth Caterpillar
and a Red Fox (OK, this one was in a display cage... but he's cool!)
Red Fox

We also found some slugs that were as enthusiastic about mushrooms as we were!
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A great day, considering it was cool and rainy. Thanks, Jef!

As the year winds down, we never know which herp trip will be our last until Spring... *shudder*

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