Missouri: Lost Weekend Found

Dogwood berries and green beetle, near Dixon, Missouri. October 2010.

I came upon a cache of photos the other day. They were in a dusty dark corner of a virtual closet. I'd uploaded them during my transition from rooted to rootless and didn't have them on a hard drive at all.

Dogwood berry, near Dixon, Missouri. October 2010.

The photos are of an October weekend in Missouri with a group of women friends. We walked in the woods.  I don't recall particular color of the autumn leaves, but reds, yellows, whites, and purple-blue of mushrooms, berries, and flowers popped.

Milkpod burst, near Dixon, Missouri. October 2010.

We passed by a monstrous-big white fungus gripping the side of a tree. A bearded-tooth mushroom, identified by Mary and Nora.

Bearded-tooth mushroom, near Dixon, Missouri. October 2010.

Assured of its edibility, we gobbled it up later in the day after slicing and sauteing it in a pan.

Bearded-tooth mushroom, near Dixon, Missouri. October 2010.

Scrumptious.

Thanks to Mary and Nora for their skills in identifying the plants and fungi we encountered on our walk.

A slideshow below: