habitat ~ 03/14/09 ~ Fort Ord - BLM Creekside

Fort Ord Public Lands - Creekside entrance
March 14, 2009

This hike was almost at the peak, bright green of spring that I so love. In the distance of the first photo, there's Toro County Park (sunlit green) and Mt. Toro (what looks like a shaded hill in the background, but is actually quite a ways away).

witch's butter ~ 03/14/09 ~ Fort Ord

witch's butter parasitizing false turkey tail with fiesta flower leaves
Tremella aurantia parasitizing Stereum hirsutum
for more information click here and here
Boraginaceae (formerly Hydrophyllaceae)

I'm almost certain the beautiful orange is witch's butter. The bracket fungi looks a little confusing to ID to species. And I believe those are fiesta flower leaves gracing the picture.

ps 12/30/10 - I had this originally identified as another witch's butter Tremella mesenterica. I've made the corrections to the ID below the picture above. This was my original blog profile pic.

pss 02/15/11 - Thanks to DDD, across the pond they call T. mesenterica yellow brain fungus!

Indian warrior

Pedicularis densiflora
Orobanchaceae (formerly Scrophulariaceae)

I saw a ton of these under the manzanitas at Fort Ord. It's related to the paintbrushes.

Pacific poison-oak
Toxicodendron diversilobum
Anacardiaceae

Poison-oak really is quite showy and beautiful. I'd wear shorts and water sandals more often for my hikes if it wasn't so ubiquitous. Thank goodness I'm not familiar with the "fun" of the allergic rash. I've skinny-dipped in poison ivy-infested areas and trudged chest-deep in sumac-infested bog waters and have never gotten a rash. Knock on wood!!!