The turnout for the Fall Cub Scout hike at Audubon State Park was as impressive as the weather. The sun was shining and there was just slight crispness in the air. Our fearless leader was none other than the botanical director of the Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Gardens. He was eager to teach and to share about our findings on the trails.
Today I learned to identify this fungus as Chicken of the Woods. Had we not been on Audubon property where we had honor the code, “Take only pictures and leave only footsteps,” I have no doubt that our guide would have picked those and prepared them for dinner. They are indeed edible and apparently named for their similarity in taste and texture to poultry.
Scattered all over the ground in the picture above were these green pods. They were about the size of fist and when cracked open, seeds were revealed. They are osage oranges or maclura pomifera. While they are fruits, they are only distantly related to the orange. They are instead members of the mulberry family. (I still have a fondness for mulberry trees having had one at our house in Loma Linda. Given the size of these oranges, maybe I should be grateful ours was of the fruitless variety.)
This group photo shows the majority of the scouts who attended. We did lose a few to early departure for sports but otherwise, everyone who started the hike finished the hike.
That afternoon I took Mason to see Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life. He is a huge fan of the book series and could not wait to see it in the theaters. It was a fun way to spend the afternoon.
Finally, tonight I chaperoned the middle school dance at St. John. The middle school dances have not been on Walker’s radar ever but he was even less enthusiastic about going to this one at his own school WITH his mother. Since Bill was out of town at the American Academy of Pediatrics conference in San Francisco, the boys enjoyed an evening home alone and I did my time for the school.
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