2 more picture in a note above! :)

If the last few days are any indication, I think that we are going to have a very wet fall and winter. It's been raining on and off every day, and I am so happy. The point where summer and fall meet is my least favorite time of year. Dry, dead, boring. Of course there are always wonderful things to photograph but it feels so dismal to me. With fall comes the beautiful colors of the leaves, and the beginning of rain again, and of course, MUSHROOMS! :D

Between rain showers, I went to the dark areas of the lower forest where I know mushrooms grow. But though the forest floor is getting nice and soggy, the mushrooms have not started to appear there. So, back out to the meadow I went, and was very happy to see about a dozen small mushrooms growing in the same area where I photographed the first one the other day! And this time, I was able to remove enough dead grass and leaves out of the background that I didn't need to resort to using textures to soften the background. (I love using textures, but I prefer using them as an artistic choice, not because the image is too cluttered or has problems that need fixing.) This mushroom is about 1" tall! :)

Thomas Carlyle (4 December 1795 – 5 February 1881) was a Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher during the Victorian era. He called economics "the dismal science", wrote articles for the Edinburgh Encyclopedia, and became a controversial social commentator. Wikipedia: Thomas Carlyle

Explored on September 26, 2013. Highest placement, page 4.