Over the Garden Fence

Over the Garden Fence

Printed in the Telegraph-Forum, Bucyrus

By Mary Lee Minor
Earth Wind and Flowers Garden Club
Region 7 - Crawford County

When another weekend get-away popped up it was not as full of promises as some. A trip to the Allegheny River

and its accompanying forest did seem inviting. The deer hunting cabin did not, but Bill was convinced we would love it.

I should mention that the forecast was calling for rain, 100 percent chance.

Hiking boots and a raincoat went in, but so did a lot of writing materials, in case we stayed inside, and the camera.

Looking back, now, I can happily say that Saturday opened up enough that we hiked the Heart's Content Scenic Interpretive Trail

and had a picnic in the sun. The hike took us through a part of the Allegheny Forest where enormous Canada hemlock and young

white pines grew in a partnership. The effort was one to replace understory plants nibbled by deer.

Within its shadows lay hundreds of toadstools and mushrooms, ferns, aged wood, bark textures, splintered wood,

mosses, fungus and at one turn a cluster of oxalis foliage. My son-in-law, Jim and I were suddenly face to face with photographic

Photograph- These two toppled mushrooms, probably toadstools, were captured within the Heart' s

Content Scenic Area, which is near Tidioute, Pennsylvania and the Allegheny National Forest.

Here, around 80 variations of toadstools were viewed.

We weren't really running, but my daughter Danielle was ahead of us, prodding with "Oh, look at this one!" The gob

of goodies looked so good in the camera, but as close-ups, not as definitive as I had thought they might be. There are

still great shots of toadstools. Whites, and orange colors seem to scream from the forest floor, along with some reds. The yellows

combined and flowed into orange concave centers. Many forms had toothed edges. Others curled as a tongue might. Some were

perfect wee caps with tiny 'bumples'; that's what I called them. Brown and tan ones, were speckled and concave. One variety even looked

like small leaves on a slim stem. A few might have been cooled pancakes.

Just when we thought there could not be much more, we turned into a picnic ground overlook for Tidioute, and looked down

over the city. On the descent we began moving around much like chickens with our heads cut off. Oh, my. The variety in

mushrooms continued. And then, I heard 'what is this?', and scurried to see Indian Pipes, a vertical form which actually turns

downward on its stem, resembling a pipe turned upside down. The first small stand of indian pipes had not yet dropped so it

puzzled me. The second outcropping was definitely behaving like 'pipes' making identification easier. These I have seen in Ohio.

What Danielle found next, I have never seen in the color range of toadstools. A fresh, moist purple cap erupted from the

decaying leaves. Then she spotted more, smaller ones, isolated from one another but in proximity. Further down the trail, we

found even more. None were huge. You take the shot, but remain in awe for the potential which would bring such growth. This

There are many questions which come out of the photography. What brings on clusters of orange caps? What makes the

stems tip over (besides critters)? How can the finite strands of a stem hold such a cap? What gives the color? How come some

are separated from the clan while others thrive in being bound together? We vowed to secure a book and begin the task of finding

It never occurred to me that their lives would extend to this part of the growing season. I think of the family members of this

specialized fungi as summer phenomenon. It was a highlight of the trip, going into the forest to find such natural gifts. The

beauty softened the sights of so many rough and tumble cabins and motor homes which dotted the landscape reminding us

Did I mention that the cabin was located on an unpaved road? Sometimes you just have to move past your comfort zone.