June 2026 Moment in Nature

It's baby season and this month's moment in nature celebrates the one that I could photograph the best. Earlier this month, I saw a baby walkingstick while I was planting ferns in the woods. Last fall, finding walkingstick insects at our new place was my October moment in nature. This baby was a fast mover and all I could do was capture some blurry pictures. Next!

Yesterday I returned from a trip to visit our granddaughter in Florida and took a quick spin around the yard to check for any plant issues (thankfully, everything looked good!). As I passed my stack of empty pots, a young praying mantis was hunting for insects. Based on its appearance (see my post from 2017 for pictures of how to tell the difference between native and exotic species), I do think this is a native one.

Remember, get out there and discover your #momentinnature. It's the reason I encourage people to plant native plants. More and more, our local ecosystem depends on the choices we make and we want to celebrate our successes.

June Rains Bring Fungi

 

We’ve had some good rains lately and the extra moisture has not gone unnoticed by all living things. An assortment of fungi has decided that now is their time and their fruiting bodies are showing up in the woods, in the lawn, even on fallen tree branches (I’m not sure if the fungi sprouted before or after the branches fell). They come in a variety of colors, shapes, sizes – just like plants. There are more of them, you know. This article estimates that there are 6 times more undiscovered fungi species  if we studied them as thoroughly as we should.

Bright colors really pop!

These urn-like fungi seem to like branches

They are an important part of our natural ecosystems and my snapshot of what is happening now is a poor excuse for understanding just how complex they are. Even I know that what fungi we find is related to what plants are growing with it/them. Follow any mushroom group (and you should) and you’ll see people looking for certain plants so that they can find specific mushrooms.

A grouping of tiny brown ones in the lawn

Growing on a fallen twig

Just like flowers, these fruiting bodies that we call mushrooms only last for a little while. Some that I saw a week ago are nowhere to be found now while new and different ones appear almost daily. Enjoy their special time while we get to take a break from having to water our plants!

This bolete mushroom has a tiny insect

Look at that!