Back from my fulfilling but lonely trip to DC, I was eager for a hike with my daughter to celebrate Labor Day. As it turns out, I got two.
To check out a bunch of cool and colorful nature stuff, read on!
There was brilliant color everywhere in the woods around Pittsburgh today.
Fiery reds, my Mom’s favorite color.
And dazzling orange, mine.
Gaudy purple and yellow.
And stately earthtones.
Life was almost chaotically rich in places. There were ferns clamboring on top of one another.
And mushrooms too! That was a new one for me. The bracket fungus had simply reoriented itself once the tree fell over and was growing at right angles to the previous generation!
Turkeytails impersonating flowers. These pretty polypores reminded me of tulips almost.
Vying for precious real estate.
Growing to monstrous proportions.
Or populating a miniature wonderland in the shadow of a dead tree.
But…
The berries were brightest of all!
Orange and black, ready for Halloween.
Ridiculous red on Jack in the Pulpit berries.
Blue, indigo, violet!
I found some lovely yellow ones, too, but my little girl wouldn’t stop wiggling in her chest carrier, as you can see. That happens.
I think one day it might be fun for us to relive these adventures by reading these posts and looking at the pictures we took as a team. My daughter is very patient with me as I try to capture pieces of our walks through the woods. I’m looking forward very much to the time she can help me spot these beautiful little treasures all around us.
If she ever does read this post, she should know that her mother and I took her out for a hike in the morning, and I took her out alone again in the afternoon. Both excursions are represented. As always, she was happy, let me take lots of pictures, and kept me good company. She was interested in everything around her, except when she fell asleep just for a little while.
We came across three nice toads, but only picked up the big one.
