where the mushrooms grow

This is the Woodlands trail at Prince Edward Island National Park.  Today I intended to walk the 4-km trail briskly, to get some much-needed exercise, but I was totally distracted by the many kinds of mushrooms and other fungus along the way.  My brisk walk turned into a dawdle, but check out the beauties I found.

 Look closely under the cap to see what's eating it.

This bright yellow mushroom has a visitor - a slug is making a meal of it.

phantom webworms and a gall

Webworms - at least I think that's what they are - have invaded my poor sumacs.  The trees grew particularly well this year, even with the drought, and have produced a large number of new plants, which are growing into a thicket much more attractive than bare grass.  But the tips of each branch is disfigured by grey, curling, dead leaves bound together with webs.  I haven't seen any actual worms (caterpillars), but there are also long webby strings attached from one tree to another.

I snipped off all the affected tips, put them in a bucket, and covered them with a mix of dish soap and water. I hope that kills the little buggers.

Here is another interesting find:

I really don't know what this is - fungus, or a gall, which is a home for an insect in the process of growing into an adult. It's pale green with a rosy tinge near the base where it is attached to the sumac stem.  Kinda pretty in an otherworldly way.  I'll keep an eye on it and report back!