Pikes Peak 2026
Richard Rathe, Oct 2026 (Birds, Flowers, Travel)
Late Fall excursion to Pikes Peak (the original!) for a bit of color and a long walk in the woods. In the panorama below, the city of Prairie du Chien is in the upper left, north of the Wisconsin River outlet near the center. Wyalusing State Park is on the opposite bluff. The sumac in the foreground is near its peak. There were White Pelicans down on the river (too small to see here).
The flowering plants were mostly done for the year and this made the red berries of these Oriental Barberry stand out. I think the birds like them!
These over-mature Puffballs were everywhere. Also note what may be an earth star
fungus that unfolds like a flower.
I'm not great a Pishing
for birds, but had some success bringing in sparrows, chickadees, and this olive-drab warbler that landed about ten feet away to challenge me. 🙂
I'm fairly certain this is a Death Cap
Amanita mushroom or close relative.
My most spectacular find was this Lion's Mane Fungus (aka the Bearded Hedgehog!).
The majority of trees had already shed their leaves, but there were little spots of color here and there!
(click any image to view or advance)
