Green Hour Challenge #34

My girls and I love this tree! In fact, we have been patiently waiting for fall to come ( we wanted a longer summer though, thank you very much) so we could take these pictures. We noticed it last year, and agreed to begin photographing it this fall and take them each season. So here are 2 of our favorite shots we got the other morning.... frost on the ground and all.

Its truly a massive tree... I wish one of the kids could stand under it and see a comparison.....but its not our tree or property.... I stood in the driveway of these peoples home... *Ü* If it wasn't so early when we took these, I would have asked the folks if we could get closer... maybe next time.




bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum)

Size: Grows to 100' tall and 4' in diameter.

Leaves: Simple, opposite, and deciduous. Very large. Palmately lobed (5 lobes) with the central lobe having a distinct "waist." Long leaf stalk with milky sap.

Fruit: Double samaras in long clusters; samaras joined at right angles; hairy seeds.

Twigs: Buds and branchlets are opposite.

Bark: Grayish or reddish-brown; interlacing ridges and furrows.

Distribution: Bigleaf maple grows on the west side of the Cascades and Sierras from British Columbia through most of California. It prefers moist, well-drained soils


Want to visit more blogs on this topic... join the rest who participated in this challenge at Hanbook of Nature study

Mario? Amanita muscaria??

Name: Amanita muscaria

Common name: Fly Agaric ("It is called the mushroom of flies, because crushed in milk it kills flies")

Habitat: Pine forest

Known for: Classical Fairy tale fungus. In some parts of the world this species is eaten because it can induce hallucinations and or also contains a number of toxins that can be fatal if present in sufficient quantity.










We live about 1 mile from any main road, and as we were driving out one day last month, we spotted these little guys! They look like they are right out of a Mario brothers Nintendo game don't they??

After we returned home, Christian and I drove back and took these photos. They were pretty cool looking. We also noticed a week later, just a little further down.... new ones were growing, but they were flat on top, not curved yet like these here. Sorry we didn't take a picture if that.


Here is some information I read about this strange mushroom.... strange indeed....

The ancient Shamanic use of Amanita muscaria in Siberia is well documented.

Despite Governmental Oppression (of its use) there are still many who refuse to accept the Authorized State Religion, and continue the Shamanic traditions in secret. Santa Claus arrives on the roof and enters through the chimney. The Siberian Shaman (commonly dressing in red and white) would enter through the opening in the roof of a home where a ritual was to be done. Santa Claus (on the Holy Day) brings presents in his bag. The Shamen gather the mushrooms in bags which they would bring with them when performing a ceremony. The Santa Claus we see today evolved from traditions developed in Germany. The Weihnachtsmann (St. Nick) was an amalgamation of older Germanic/Norse gods such as Thor, Donner, Odin and Wotan.

This knowledge is fairly common. What is missing here is that Santa flies the skies in his sleigh, Odin (as well as the rest) rode through the sky in his chariot which is depicted in the stars by "The Big Dipper". The Big Dipper is the chariot of Odin and Wotan, And Thor, and King Arthur, and even Osiris (Egypt). The chariot that circles the North Star in a 24 hour period is thus also known as the sleigh of Santa Claus, which circles the mythological home of Santa (the North Pole). These Nordic/Germanic Gods are tied to Mushrooms in their mythology. Thor throws his hammer (which is shaped as a mushroom) to the ground and with a mighty Thunderous lightning crack it appears. Odin rides the sky in his chariot pulled by horses which are exerting such an effort that their spit mingled with blood falls to the ground and the places where it hits mushrooms (Amanitas particularly) grow.

The Osiris mythology has even more to add to this. First off to the Egyptian's South was up (north). Osiris was the lord of the underworld (south) which is why he circles the sky in the furthest possible under (south) area. Not only did Osiris ride the sky in a chariot, but after his death Isis found that an evergreen (Cedar) had grown full sized from a dead stump overnight (this also relates to the Djed pillar) this was understood as a sign of Osiris' rebirth and immortality. The birth of Osiris is interestingly the 25th of December (traditional). The 25th of December was also celebrated annually by putting presents around the Cedar tree. This tradition is at lease five thousand years old. The birth of Horus to the goddess virgin mother Isis is perhaps the eldest representation of the goddess/son mythology, yet it is impossible to know the true date of this or how old the Astro-theological Virgo giving birth to the child/god/star mythology is. However it is the oldest source I have found. And very old it is.

The Mushrooms are typically dried (a necessary procedure) by stringing them up (like popcorn) and hanging them above the hearth of the fireplace. Shamen, and Lay people alike, would gather and dry them. They are a valuable commodity. Reindeer (native to Siberia) eat these mushrooms. The Mythology of Reindeer taking flight reflects the supposed effects they get after such a meal.


~~~~James Arthur