Mushroom question.

I thought that you might find this picture of the underside of a large mushroom interesting. Can anyone identify the type of mushroom from this picture? 

GREAT ANHINGA PICTURES

  I got these pictures from the shores of Lake Howard in Winter Haven, Florida on the afternoon of Sunday, April 3, 2011. The weather was great with bright sunshine and a temperature of about eighty degrees Fahrenheit. I was using my wife's old Olympus FE-110 camera. The closest I could get to this bird was about ten feet. 

   From what I have read about this bird, I think that it is a male because of it's coloration. According to the Audubon society at  http://web4.audubon.org/bird/boa/F41_G2a.html, the Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga) is known by such common names as "Bec a 

Lancette", "water crow", "Grecian Lady", snake bird or cormorant. The Cornell University's  Lab Of Ornithology at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Anhinga/lifehistory describes the Anhinga as living in shallow, slow moving, sheltered freshwater habitats. It is not noted for liking large impoundments of water, though it may nest in or near the edges of open bays and lakes. 

 I hope that you enjoy looking at the rest of these pictures as much as  I enjoyed taking them.

A few weeks back I used my old Kodak camera to photograph a Japanese Plum tree at the Lake Sears boat ramp area. Here are some of the pictures of the fruit on these trees that were taken on March 24, 2011.

Here are some more links that you might find interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_plum,

 http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2013.html and

 http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request112.asp.

PAPER WASP AND NEST

I was doing a Backyard photo safari and found this Paper Wasp

nest

inside of the outdoor cable box. I was feeling kind of stupidly

adventurous 

and started taking what I feel are some very interesting photos.

The amazing thing is that I did not get stung for my intrusions.

for more information on wasps you might try: 

http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg348.html,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polistes or

http://www.cirrusimage.com/hymenoptera.htm.

THE LAKE HOWARD ANHINGA

I had the opportunity to take these

images at the Lake Howard dock.

I believe that this bird is an Anhinga.

For more information check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhinga,

http://www.miamisci.org/ecolinks/everglades/anhingainfo.html or

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/pictures/Anhinga_anhinga.html.

BOAT TAILED GRACKLE?

I had the pleasure of taking these photos of a

BOAT TAILED GRACKLE at Lake Howard

on March 27, 2011.

For more information on Grackles try this:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Boat-tailed_Grackle/id,

http://losbird.org/labirds/btgr.htm or

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Quiscalus_quiscula.html.