Funky Fungi

Getting outside and enjoying nature is one of the best things in life! It's so refreshing for the mind, body and soul. I always feel so refreshed after spending time outside. That's just what we needed today! So, we bundled up, grabbed some gear, snacks, cameras, our dog, and hit the trail at the Santa Rosa Ecological Reserve in Murrieta, California.

We've had a LOT of rain over the past few months and it shows! We saw lots and lots of fungi. Probably, more than we've ever seen in one hike and varieties that we've never seen. We saw fungi that was bright, orange...it kind of looks like dirty cheese whiz or something...


Bright, golden, yellow that was ruffly like a flower...or does it look more like macaroni and cheese?...


Red...


These have edges that look like flower petals...


These look like they've been toasted to a golden, crispy brown and like they might be crumbling on the edges...


More golden brown with ruffly, pretty edges...


I love the rosey edges on these...


Check out the cinnamony, brown color on this one. It looks like the wood on a nice piece of furniture with a rich, stained finish...or a beautiful piece of leather...


It's amazing how something so white can grow up out of dark brown soil...


They're so delicate yet strong enough to push mounds of soil, leaves, and sticks up as they grow...


This one is holding a bunch of little sticks. Check out it's gorgeous underside...


Many of them were really big, at least seven inches across, or more. Here's a shot of one with my daughter's foot to give an idea of the scale/size of it...


These look like something from a fairy tale...


These were growing out of the sides of a log...


How about a vase?...


Some had flat tops...


Some of them look like they were falling over...


So cute...


This kind is so well disquised that we almost missed it. The color and curls blend in so well with the leaves. They curl around like flower petals. So interesting...


It's interesting how thick some are and how some turn down and some turn up...


All the colors were fascinating too. Here's another orangey one...


This one looks so delicate and so pretty with it's rich, brown color...


These black ones are really different and funky!...


I always love it when we see new and unexpected things on our hikes. We sure hit the jackpot on that today! How fun!