October 21

I’m following the White Pine trail into a remote section of the Gratiot-Saginaw State Game Area, 15 miles southeast of Ithaca. The mid-morning weather is mostly cloudy, misty and breezy as I make my way south through a dense forest of broadleaves with a few conifers mixed in. The leaf litter reveals the presence of maple, oak, aspen and pine. Nearby, I pick a 1-inch Spiny Puffball mushroom, take a bite and enjoy the mild “mushroomy” flavor. Just ahead, I pick a waxy green leaf of Wintergreen, crush it between my fingers and inhale the pleasant aroma. Stepping briefly off the trail, I pause at a vernal pond to admire Mother Nature’s beautiful autumn artwork. Back on the trail. I spot some sulfur shelf fungi as well as a patch of fresh Haircap moss. Entering a clearing as the trail forks, I veer easterly where, on the leaf litter, a mixed patch of Club and Pincushion moss catch my eye. Soon, I come upon a small creek where I take time to look and listen to this scenic fall landscape. Nearby fungi include Birch Polypore and Oyster mushrooms. Continuing southeast, I come to the edge of a 20-acre lake lined with colorful deciduous trees and almost totally covered with green vegetation. Closer examination indicates its Floating Pondweed. While exploring the shoreline, I come upon a cattail flower seeding out and lots of spiny seedpods of Buttonbush. Turning around, I retrace my steps past the creek where I notice maple leaves falling onto the colorful path. Along the trail’s edge, I see leaves of Sassafras and Witch Hazel changing color. Approaching the car, I come upon a partially eaten mushroom. Not knowing what was feeding on it, my guess it either was a deer, squirrel or rabbit. While these creatures know better than to eat toxic mushrooms, not so for Box turtles. They’ve been known to safely eat deadly species of Amanita (stock photo), which has killed people eating the turtles. Finally, I find the car and head for home.

Autumn onward
Forest rids her green
Reds and yellows show
Wafting leaves are seen
Barren is the meadow
Frost ices the ground
Swallows head south
Wooly bears around
Plants cease to grow
Mother Nature’s way
Comes the colder night
Comes the shorter day 

D. DeGraaf