"Chicken of the Woods"

Deuce and I went for a walk this morning and I spotted something I've not seen in years - Chicken of the Woods. 

Chicken of the Woods is the common name for the edible mushroom Laetiporus sulphureus. How did it get the name Chicken of the Woods? I can only guess it tastes like chicken.

Don't look for me to test that out. 

Wikipedia says eating the mushroom can cause mild reactions in some people, such as swollen lips or vomiting. Really? Its bright orange color wasn't a tell-tale sign of possible toxicity? 

One of the earliest woodland lessons from my grandfather was to treat brightly colored mushrooms or fungus as suspect. It could be his mother didn't like mushrooms all that much and wouldn't eat them. I'll never know for sure, but eating this woodland produce isn't part of my family tradition. 

All that aside, it's a beautiful thing, a bright spot of orange in the green and brown woods. I don't know where it's been for these many years (lying dormant of course), but I'm glad it has reappeared to remind me of my grandfather and his wisdom. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

 Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, woodland walks, country living, rural lifestyle, life lessons, wild mushrooms, wild fungus, simple country pleasures, a writer's life

Wildflowers and Iris

Two years ago I built a dry-stack knee wall. I had a little help from the John Deere 1023, but I lifted and stacked the stones. That little wall was something I wanted for a very long time, and I'm just pleased as punch with it! There's a backstory to the building of this tiny wall in that it took decades to be accomplished, and it turned out to be quite the life lesson. 

My original plan, way back in the 1980s, was for that to be a spot where a pickup could be backed up and the tailgate lowered to drive a mower into the bed. Time marched on without the wall and priorities changed. Instead of being a handy built-in ramp, it is a spot for a wildflower garden.

Isn't it strange how things turn out? 

Last spring, I scattered a pack of wildflower seeds and by the end of the summer, there was a pretty little garden blooming. I like the look of cottage gardens but have always found them difficult to maintain. The knee wall garden is small enough to easily pull weeds, although at this point in the season I don't yet know what are weeds and what are young wildflowers. It's a dilemma. 

The spousal unit, who could not be bothered in twenty-six years to build the wall for me, requested I plant a clump of Siberian iris for him. I should not have honored his request, all things considered, but I did. I also added a start of a very old-fashioned yellow/brown iris the start of which came from my great-grandmother's garden. 

Sometimes in life, original plans don't work out but what we end up with is ten times better. So it is with my little wildflower garden. 

The Lady of Holly Tree Manor (The Hideaway)

Holly Tree Manor, The Hideaway, cottage gardens, knee wall, John Deere 1023, doing it yourself, simple country pleasures, a writer's life, rural living, wildflowers, disappointments, original plans, life lessons