The ‘Week of Flowers’ theme was fun for the past several weeks, but the beginning of the rainy season is rather important locally. I suppose I should have gotten more interesting pictures instead of rotting stumps, a leaky gutter and a bare cottonwood tree. Hopefully, they are not as bad as this sounds. If the first five are, the sixth might compensate. There really are no flowers, though.
1. Winter is the rainy season here. It is probably appreciated more than in other climates because it is the only time that significant rain falls. If a thunderstorm passes through in summer, it might start a fire without enough rain to put it out. Anyway, gutters still leak.
2. Rain was sufficient to finish defoliation of this grand cottonwood out back. The foliage had been bright yellow for quite a while. It does not need much chill to develop splendid color. Windy weather typically dislodges the last of it. This year, rain finished it off first.
3. Mushrooms grow as the forest dampens through the rainy season. These are growing from a coast live oak stump that has been rotting for several years, but is somehow quite sound. I have been unable to dislodge it, even as the roots rot enough for the soil to sink.
4. Mushrooms that are growing from a rotten toyon stump are weirder, but could be the same sort at a more advanced state. I should recognize them since they do this annually. Some hideously big mushrooms grew elsewhere, but are already melting into black goo.
5. The madrone stump that was maintaining the integrity of the top of this embankment has been rotting for many years. Actually, I am impressed that it remained intact as long as it has. It looks worse from the other side. I could post a picture of that on Wednesday.
6. Heather would not cooperate for a picture against the clear sky between rainy weather a few days ago. She really just wanted to roll around on the sunny pavement, which was still damp and probably cold. She is impressively tolerant of this sort of embarrassment.
This is the link for Six on Saturday, for anyone else who would like to participate: https://thepropagatorblog.wordpress.com/2017/09/18/six-on-saturday-a-participant-guide/
Tony Tomeo 
Heather is looking like she is planning revenge! Lovely mushroom shots.
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Yes, she sort of looks like that, but it just is not that important to her.
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Laughing out loud at your sixth and Jim’s third! Loving the mushroom photos – very cool.
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Heather was not quite so amused. She is a good kitty though.
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At first I thought you were going to show the plant heather, of which we have many varieties that flower during the winter! That amused me. Love the mushroom pictures and their intricate structures
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Heathers do not perform well here. I did find that some sort of heath is growing surprisingly well within one of our landscapes, though. Erica arborea was a significant cut flower crop in Montara a very long time ago.
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Cats taking selfies…Nice work! I love a huge cottonwood. My last allotment in Seattle had a huge one that cast way too much shade for our gardens, but what are ya gonna do? There are a few near my office that have such deep craggy bark. Who knows how old they are, but they are impressive. I did not even recognize them for what they were until they started putting out cotton, so much larger than the ones at to ranch in San Diego county where I used to ride horses. Strip mall now.
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Oh my! It does look like she took a selfie! I did not notice that. The cottonwood is an impressive tree there, but I am concerned that it will eventually fall onto the road below. They do not last for long.
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Those mushroom photos are so nice — especially the close up. Still, Heather has a special charm. There’s nothing like starting the day with a laugh, and she provided one.
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Heather is silly. She was not planned, but is now very much at home here. Regardless of her feline attitude, and her insistence that Los Gatos was named for her, I am very pleased that she decided to live here. She is quite fond of Rhody.
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I enjoyed these images–especially the mushrooms, the road stump, and the kitty. Sweet Heather. Happy Six! 🙂
Beth @ PlantPostings.com
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Do you participate in Six on Saturday? It can become a bad habit, or a harmlessly fun habit.
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Heather is making me laugh. I am glad she and Rhody like each other. I am not sure I know Cottonwoods, going to look it up.
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Cottonwood has a huge range. It is known as the Eastern cottonwood, but it is as common here as it is there. It is one of those trees that is best in the wild. It is not so appropriate to landscape situations.
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