Crawling on the Ground

Those of us who walk along looking at the ground often see very interesting things. One thing I had never seen before was the Indian Pipe . I saw some yesterday on my way to pick up the mail but I did not have my camera with me (I know) and was dragging an uncooperative Mitzi down the road. This morning I noticed some in our yard - a little more mature and not so translucently pretty as the ones I first saw, but just as interesting. At first glance this looks like it should be a fungus, but is actually a flowering plant that feeds on fungi instead of producing food through photosynthesis.

And for those who simply can't get enough of all things Roxy - a new picture with way too much junk in the background. She's slowing down a bit these days but still enjoys a good ramble. Every once in a while I turn her loose in the morning to walk around the yard and she turns up in about 15 minutes at the front door ready for her nap. She's turned out to be a pretty good goose repellent - she'll run at them until they take wing, then come right back in the house. She has no interest in catching them, so she runs at a pretty casual pace.