A very roundish helmet-like and about 5 inches across mushroom. It was a bolete type (which means it has pores and not gills), perhaps in the Tylopilus genus.
The Ebony Spleenwort fern was loaded with spores!
A shelf fungus provides a shelf for the moss!
Another boletes mushroom, Old Man of the Woods (Strobilomyces) was malformed by another plant.
A male Three-toed Box Turtle! Really was an excellent box turtle season in Fannin County. We saw a total of eight this spring!
This time I flipped him over to check for the depression on the plastron (bottom) near the rear. Additionally the shell flared with marginal scutes to indicate a male.
Another pretty fungi!
Something weird.
Not so weird once I turned it over to reveal that it was the seed pod of an American Lotus. The waves had washed it a considerable distance inland.
When I saw this animal, I thought it reminded me of a hover fly. However it was much too big I thought. Apparently it was the giant Yellowjacket Hover Fly (Milesia virginiensis)! Very cool and almost as large as bumblebee!
The final interesting fungi of the day, the Russula queletii! Furthermore we found in under the pines which was appropriate. Since this is what it likes. 😉
Beautiful box turtle. Sure happy you saw so many. Shelf fungus with moss is really cool.
Yes the mossy fungus was v cool.
What a great variety! And hi turtle!