Old deteriorated puffball

This old deteriorated puffball was found in the woods in Celery Bog Park.  Probably a Calvatia gigantea.  I am poking it with a stick to expel some of the spores, appearing as that dusty stuff you see.  Photo taken March 17, 2015.

Link to Calvatia gigantea with some old mature photos:

Link to Calvatia gigantea:

Link to Calvatia gigantea:

Singing bridge

The Lindberg Road bridge across Coot Slough was singing Tuesday morning March 17, 2015.  When a strong northerly wind blows across the bridge, the railing on the north side produces a musical tone.  Both creepy and awe-inspiring.  To hear it you have to walk out on the pedestrian pathway.  Cars going by will drown out the sound so you have to wait until they go past.  To my knowledge nobody has been able to produce an audio recording of the sound.

Winter aconite

Winter aconite (Eranthis).  Winter aconite is a non-native plant and was planted here in the woods at the south end of Celery Bog Park several years ago.  It is a perennial and once it is planted will emerge every year as one of the earliest spring flowers.  Photo taken March 17, 2015.

Link to previous post on winter aconite in this same location two years ago:

Link to post on winter aconite at Clegg Garden last week:

Scarlet cup fungus and waterleaf

In the woods at Cumberland Park, scarlet cup fungus.  This is sometimes called Sarcoscypha coccinea but I will call it Sarcoscypha austriaca based on the treatment in the Hoosier Mushroom Society website.

Link to Sarcoscypha austriaca:

Link to previous post on scarlet cup fungus:

The green plant is waterleaf (Hydrophyllum sp.).  This is one of the few green plants appearing in the woods this early in the season.  A few green leaves of spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) can be seen poking through the leaf litter elsewhere in the woods here.

Photo taken March 15, 2015.

Link to previous post on Hydrophyllum:

Foggy day on the Wabash River

A foggy day on the Wabash River.  Looking downstream from the State Road 26 bridge at Lafayette.  Photo taken about 6:30 pm March 13, 2015.  The river here is about 14 feet above flood stage.

Link to Wabash River levels:

Red-tailed hawk

This red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) sits on a lamppost overlooking the parking lot at Celery Bog Park.

Photos taken Feb. 4, 2015.

Link to previous post on red-tailed hawk: