Colorful Mushroom Reef

I walked out the driveway to the mailbox last evening and I took my camera.  Beside the driveway is a large log, slowly going back to nature.  It is the remnant of a big oak tree that blew over in a windstorm a few years back and took out my power and phone lines.  It is almost completely covered in a wide variety of colorful fungi, some of the prettiest I have ever seen.  Many sections remind me of a coral reef, and the colors are astounding.

Thrifty Swallowtails

The plant commonly called Thrift throughout the South is technically Phlox Subulata, but regardless of what you call it, the Swallowtail Butterflies love it in the spring,

both the Eastern Tiger . . .

and the Black varieties.

Raiding the Flower Beds

Vicki raided the flower beds for her mother yesterday.  I think she picked a nice arrangement.

Ruffner Mountain Sunset

The Catchlight small group from Church of the Highlands hiked up Ruffner Mountain last evening to watch and photograph the sunset

and the lights of Birmingham coming on.

I had some trouble with lens internal reflections of the specular lights (I believe because of the UV filter on the front, but not yet confirmed) but a few came out usable.

Planked!

Love planked salmon, with a little dill and home made tartar sauce.  I could eat it every week . . . oh, wait . . . we do (just about anyway).

Say, "Ahhhhhh."

Calla Throat

Pears Anyone?

The Bradford Pear is in full bloom.

Many of those tiny little flowers will mature into tiny little pears, if the freeze last night didn't destroy them.  Too bad they are so small they are essentially useless, except maybe as bird food.

Wait A Minute!

Just when you think spring is off and running, it's going down to 29F tonight.

Muscasuckle

I believe this is a muscadine vine with a honeysuckle vine along for the ride to the tree tops.