It will get done, soon!! I use the Aluminet only in Summer when the greenhouse is empty, I never have it up with plants inside the greenhouse. That's why I can go straight outside in the Spring without worrying about my plants getting sunburned. But that is NJ, so you will simply have to see. In any case I am sure you will enjoy it!

My Aluminet is always on as it is with all the growers down here. I suspect you will keep it on all of the time too.

Jim

We spent more time at our place in Pennsy yesterday and today. The Mushrooms are popping up and the wildflowers are putting on a nice show!
I took this group of pictures with my IPhone.
Amanita muscaria/Fly Agaric which is very yellow in the NE, update on Helleborines, and there is the diminutive Partridgeberry. Also Trilliums with large seed, small mushrooms and there are planty of different Clover type blooms and white Daisies.



Now off to see what I took with my IPad camera this morning.

Ok IPad set:
We are very happy to have this year four large Elderberry bushes in bloom, Klaus mowed around them a bit, so we will have an easier harvest this Fall. We love Elderberry jam!!! And we are getting a very nice Gazebo built by a local Contractor who has fixed our house years ago and he had also added the porch. We love what he has done so far, should be finished by next week.
While Klaus cut down the meadow ( lots of Viburnum ) I took a look at the Lichen hill, the neighbor has taken to cut it along with the rest of his field, so some of the Lichen get crowded out by pretty wildflowers, but I saw them popping up on other spots. And I saw the tiniest red Mushroom near the spot where I usually see Cladonia cristatella.


Hope you enjoy!

Oh wonderful, Ursula. The little red mushroom looks like a jewel and your new gazebo will be so wonderful for dining and relaxing in the shade by the pond.

This is really special glass I am using here, Jim. The percentage of visible light transmission is guaranteed to be no more than 47% and the UV transmission is only 10%. The shading coefficient is a really low .27 and the relative heat gain is only .32 This is based on how much heat clear glass would transmit. For example, a 1/8" pane of clear glass would be 1, allowing 100% of the sun's heat to penetrate, and the RHG is a whopping 214. The lower the SC and the lower the RHG, the cooler the sunroom. I know these are just numbers and I'll have to see what the "real world" factors will be in all seasons.

Just beautiful, Ursula. Nature is a wonder.

Jim

thanks and yes it is!
The largest of those cute red Mushrooms was about 1 cm in diameter, really tiny little gems.
And yes, it will be nice not to have to go inside whenever we have a couple of drops of rain. We love the construction so far, it measures 16 x 16 feet, a good size.

We had a LOT of rain in Pennsy and as a result looking for mushrooms this weekend was fun!!







Some more stuff -
Pretty Lycopodium, update on the Epipactis helleborine, lots of Camomile in bloom and the finished Gazebo. It was lovely to sit there watching the sun go down and listening to the birds and frogs without slapping yourself silly.

Needs some landscaping around the Gazebo, Klaus had cut down the meadow and in addition, some Viburnum needs to be also cleared to allow a good view from the Gazebo-inside to the pond.

That's a lot of mushrooms, Ursula. Do you eat any of them?

No, we don't! Surely some of these are edible, but we aren't THAT hungry to try it. I wish we would know a knowledgeable Mushroom collector to know which ones are safe to eat.
Some of the Amanitas (as in here the yellow Fly Agaric and some of those with a "skirt") are very poisonous, but I bet those small Boletus ( brown ) are perhaps fine. I say "perhaps" !

Wonderful pictorial tour, and the gazebo sure looks like a pleasant addition.

You might want to consider some moderate sized rocks around the base of the gazebo so that you won't return after winter to find skunks or raccoons denning under there. We had that problem with a similar structure years ago at our lake cabin in BC.

It's really not worth the risk to eat wild mushrooms unless you're very sure what they are, Ken. IF they're ok, they can be wonderful but the ones that aren't ok have neurotoxins that can make you crazy or dead pretty quick.

A couple of years ago I found white, firm fungal growths in the soil under my oak trees here. I thought - wouldn't it be wonderful if they were white truffles! The squirrels dig them up and eat them so they should be ok for people . . . well, I sent a sample and pictures to the UF mushroom specialist, a Dr. Kinnebrew if I recall the name and he replied by e-mail DO NOT EAT! POISONOUS. Along with a detailed analysis and scientific names that I have long ago forgotten.

Oh, I would never eat a wild mushroom, though as Ursula said, I know some of them are perfectly good. I too wish I knew enough about wild mushrooms to use those edible ones, but I am crazy enough and want to live a bit longer. I still have orchids that haven't bloomed.

Elaine, talking about putting some stones around the Gazebo, as we were carrying a table and chairs into it, a very disturbed Groundhog came flying out from underneath. Yes, Klaus talked about closing it up, needs to be done.

We spent some time in Pennsy, we had a smidgeon of frost on the lawn this morning. The air was crisp and chilly under a blustery sky and we actually managed to pick more Apples this morning. There were lots of empty sweet water Mussel shells next to the pond, someone/something which is most likely a Muskrat, had a feast the last couple of weeks pulling them out of the water. And there were actually a few fat Mushrooms about despite a fairly dry Summer.
(We probably have a touch of frost here too in Fair Lawn tonight. All plants are inside now, I took care of that on Thursday. The garage is loaded with Epiphyllums, Jades and other stuff.)


And a pond-panorama

A couple of these pics of the road I need to put on my wall for art. I could look at them all day.

Thank you so much! How nice of you to say that!

I'm green with envy! Autumn here is just a depressing mess. Everything here looks ratty, roses bloomed out, leaves shedding etc. We never have a clue what the weather will do. Last week was triple digits, this week down to 80, next week supposed to be hot again. Love your pics of Pennsy!

Thanks Carol! We just love the colors this weekend!

I'm just delighted when you post these scenic pictures, Ursula. We don't get to see that here in Florida.

Jim