Still hanging out around home (at least on the Blog). Today's pictures are from a walk last week at Caloosahatchie Regional East -- the county park that adjoins our RV Resort.
The Boardwalk is less than a mile long -- usually I walk both it and another longer trail that is on packed dirt. It was too muddy to walk the dirt trail last Saturday. The short walk was fine though. Any chance to get out in a quiet, natural setting is worth it -- especially when you don't need a car to get there in the first place.
I spotted the squirrel digging frantically next to the board walk . And I could hardly believe it when he uprooted this mushroom and raced up the nearest tree. Did you know squirrels enjoyed mushrooms?
Ferns, sabal palms, and palmettos are mostly what I see at this park. It's a nice quiet green place for an easy walk. There's a lot of parkland in this County; this particular one is rather underused -- I usually don't see anybody else at all there. (Which is just fine with me.) I don't think the County worries about the number of people at these smaller parks -- they have bought the land mostly to preserve it from development and protect native plants. And provide habitat for birds and animals.
Here's my little friend still nibbling. That was a pretty big mushroom.
LINKING TO: SCENIC WEEKENDS (thank you to Gemma) and to SATURDAY CRITTERS (thank you to Eileen).
What an awesome place to walk - I love boardwalks, but I don't know of any in my state!
Posted by: Al | January 21, 2016 at 05:23 PM
What a cutie! I'm showing our red squirrel on Saturday!
Posted by: JennJilks | January 20, 2016 at 05:24 PM
No I didn't and loved that someone left info in a comment!
Posted by: Ramblingwoods | January 17, 2016 at 06:38 PM
I was glad to see the explanation about toxic mushrooms above as I wondered if the last picture would be of the squirrel who had lost his life after eating a toadstool. I should have known better as they can also eat toxic tulip bulbs which I used to have to wrap in chicken wire before planting. I love your boardwalk. How lucky for you to have such a lovely place to enjoy the outdoors.
Posted by: Jeanne Marie | January 17, 2016 at 08:24 AM
Oh, Squirrels, don't come here.
You are not welcome.
Scream mushrooms.
Posted by: Rainfield61.blogspot.com | January 17, 2016 at 06:29 AM
Hi Sallie,
The boardwalk looks very inviting to go for a hike.
I am happy you got to spend a little time with the squirrels.
Love those little guys, though they can eat all the bird food.
Nice photos of nature!
Have a Beautiful Weekend!
Peace :)
Posted by: GreenComotion | January 16, 2016 at 09:07 PM
I did not know squirrels ate mushroom, but, it makes sense that they do.
I love this walk of yours, Sallie, especially the boardwalk. How nice that it is so close to your home.
Posted by: Penny | January 16, 2016 at 05:39 PM
Love that boardwalk winding through all the greens. So refreshing for the spirit to walk close to Nature like this.
Posted by: Gemma Wiseman | January 16, 2016 at 12:47 PM
Do you think humans learned to like mushrooms after observing squirrels? And eat the non-poisonous kinds?
Posted by: Dianne | January 16, 2016 at 11:57 AM
We have one of this little fellow just near the house. On the snow we put a lot of hazelnuts... They stay here a few days, but disappeared an other one.... So we put again a lot of them etc etc... I saw him last year. He was charming !
Posted by: Annie | January 16, 2016 at 08:05 AM
What a great place to walk and lovely photos ~ Love the sweet squirrel shot ~ very creative!
Wishing you a Happy Weekend ~ ^_^
Posted by: artmusedog and carol | January 16, 2016 at 07:21 AM
such a sweet place for a walk!!! mr. squirrell is quite cute, enjoying his pick of the day!!!
Posted by: Debbie | January 16, 2016 at 07:19 AM
You took some really cute photos. We try to scare the squirrels away from our feeders...lots of luck! haha! Enjoy your day! It looks like a gorgeous day to get out here in Florida after the rain yesterday. Hugs, Diane
Posted by: Lavender Dreams | January 16, 2016 at 06:37 AM
Hello Sallie, I have seen squirrels running off with mushrooms. It does seem odd, I assume they know which mushrooms to eat. I love the gorgeous plants, the ferns and palms are beautiful. It is a lovely trail and nice that you do not have to drive to start your walk. Great post and photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Have a happy weekend!
Posted by: Eileen | January 16, 2016 at 03:58 AM
Hello Sallie!:) What a beautiful place, quite tropical looking, and loved the shot of the ferns and Nutkins.:) I regularly see them eating mushrooms in my garden.
Have a great weekend!:)
Posted by: breathtaking | January 16, 2016 at 03:12 AM
HI Sallie Well I did not know that Squirrels eat mushrooms so of course i had to find out more and thought you might be interested to know this also.
Squirrels have the ability to eat toxic mushrooms as described below. Are there any mushrooms that they can't eat without dying?
According to Dr. John Rippon, an IMA member and world expert on fungal diseases, squirrels have an interesting adaptation that allows them to eat mushrooms containing deadly amanita-toxins without being affected. There are three important chemicals in the amanitas. Two will knock you right off, but are destroyed in cooking. The third one is the interesting one: it consists of the second amanitin, bound tightly to a glycoprotein molecule. When we digest the mushroom, the enzymes in our gut break the bond between the toxin and the glycoprotein, leaving the toxin free to enter our bloodstream, while the glycoprotein is excreted (a glycoprotein is a [protein containing sugar molecules and accounts for the viscous properties of mucus], in case you don't know). What the squirrels have done is line their gut with a toxin-compatible glycoprotein, so that as soon as it gets split from its original glycoprotein molecule, it gets rebound to the squirrel glycoprotein, and excreted along with it. Obviously, the squirrels don't cook their food to destroy the first two molecules, but presumably those get bound in exactly the same way. Thus, squirrels and a few other animals (guinea pigs also, I believe) can eat mushrooms that are highly toxic to other animals with no ill effects.
Posted by: Margaret Birding For Pleasure | January 16, 2016 at 02:54 AM
How lovely - looks warm too, says she shivering during her cold winter...
Posted by: Lady Fi | January 15, 2016 at 10:42 PM
Lovely to see all that greenery, Sallie.
Posted by: Hildred Finch | January 15, 2016 at 09:08 PM
You have a beautiful and interesting place to enjoy nature. How I wish I can tag along with you.
Posted by: nancy chan | January 15, 2016 at 09:08 PM
Beautiful parkland and very cute squirrel. I hope the squirrel know the difference between edible mushrooms and poisonous ones!
Posted by: Mick | January 15, 2016 at 07:37 PM
I had no idea that squirrels ate mushrooms. In my yard, they like to go after my bird feeder! I had been seeing a white squirrel in my neighborhood for awhile, but then sadly he got hit by a car. By the way, I will probably be seeing Bob and Philomena this weekend, as I am visiting my grandkids. I'll try to get some pictures!
Posted by: Lois | January 15, 2016 at 05:58 PM
Such a cute little friend. The ferns growing out of the trunk are so cool...
Posted by: ellen b | January 15, 2016 at 04:30 PM
...lol I read my comment and it should read my dogs EAT mushrooms too, the way I wrote it sounds like squirrels eat my dogs ;-0
Posted by: Sondra-SC | January 15, 2016 at 03:19 PM
they are cute the little devils...I have seen them eat mushrooms, and my dogs TOO! They know which ones to pick!
Posted by: Sondra-SC | January 15, 2016 at 03:17 PM
The picture of your “little buddy” is so cute. He is hungry, as usual. Am I see Spanish moss? I remember it so well from the year my daddy was stationed at the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville. We lived in a little area called Ortega and it was all Spanish moss. Nice section of shots.
Posted by: genie | January 15, 2016 at 03:15 PM
really cute! love the ferns, too!
Posted by: TexWisGirl | January 15, 2016 at 02:17 PM
No, I had no idea that squirrels ate mushrooms! Smart little creatures!
Posted by: Florence | January 15, 2016 at 01:01 PM
Sallie, I froze this AM skiing - your photos are helping to warm me up! Our squirrels store mushrooms from the forest for winter. It's funny to see one running up a tree with a big mushroom cap in its mouth. I love the ferns and moss on the last tree. Lucky you to have this paradise all to yourself!
Posted by: Barb | January 15, 2016 at 12:58 PM
Hi Sallie. We have been in New Smyrna Beach since the 1st of Jan. and will be heading back to Ohio 1st of Feb. Enjoying our walks on the beach and the Canaveral National Seashore is just down the road. I've been working slowly on a new post about the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. Linda and I are just taking it easy and enjoying ourselves. Hope all is well with you.
Posted by: Joe Todd | January 15, 2016 at 10:01 AM
How lovely that this is right on your doorstep. Your photos show a gorgrgeous area.
Posted by: DeniseinVA | January 15, 2016 at 09:46 AM
Fascinating-what a strange diet. My garden squirrel seems to eat any bird food or scraps if he is hungry. He is not a regular.
Posted by: Hazel | January 15, 2016 at 09:23 AM
What a beautiful place to walk. I love the squirrel!
Linda
Posted by: Linda | January 15, 2016 at 09:12 AM
What a nice place for walking and so close to home ! Your squirrels are far bigger than ours and they are grey, we only have red once and they are smaller, I don't see them very often, but I love them they are so cute.
In the UK the squirrels are like yours. Strange !
Posted by: Gattina | January 15, 2016 at 08:26 AM
What a treat! A nice place to walk without a crowd. There is a trail here in Tulsa a little over two miles long and I have only seen about 4 other people on it in the years that I have walked it.
Posted by: Yogi | January 15, 2016 at 07:36 AM
These places are slices of heaven. We visited one such over that away some years back - Withlacoochee? Got some good pics...that was when I was using film cameras! Nice shots!
Posted by: Lowell | January 15, 2016 at 07:09 AM
From your photos I thought you were in the jungles of Central America - very tropical. But then I guess Florida is just next door to the exotic places south and west of there.
No, I didn't know squirrels ate mushrooms but I do know they eat most things including bird feeders and the contents.
Posted by: Phil | January 15, 2016 at 05:29 AM
Love seeing so much green, especially when it's so gray outside my window. I wonder if the mushroom was "magic". ;-)
Posted by: Halcyon | January 15, 2016 at 04:32 AM