Magpie fungus

Coprinopsis picacea is a species of fungus in the Psathyrellaceae. It is commonly called magpie fungus. It is native to Britain. This poisonous species can sometimes be confused with the edible Coprinus comatus.

Not so nice when getting old.

This interesting website provides clear pictures by category to avoid accident as many dangerous mushrooms are very similar to comestible ones In addition see funny peculiar ones:
http://www.identifiezleschampignonsen3clics.com/index.php/Intro/Champignons-de-nos-regions-Isere-Dauphine/Quelques-cu.html

More mushrooms of the Sant valley

Lovely hearts in the forest

Geranium nodosum, the knotted crane's bill, is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Geraniaceae family.

The lovely and delicate petals have the shape of a heart. Their color ranges from pink to violet.

In the magic potion of king Mithridates

This plant Clinopodium Vulgare, commonly named wild basil, has traditionally been used as an astringent, a cardiac stimulant, an expectorant, to reduce flatulence and to increase perspiration.

It was part of the Theriac or theriaca, the medical concoction originally formulated by the Greeks in the 1st century AD (Mithridates VI of Pontus) and widely adopted in the ancient world as far away as China and India via the trading links of the Silk Route.

It has been used traditionally in Bulgaria for the healing of wounds and has been shown to have anti-bacterial properties.

Fakir’s carpet

In our valley, chestnuts trees are happy and numerous. They survived a disease that killed many of them all over Europe during the last century.

When the fruits are covering the trails, our dogs find it difficult to run. We do have shoes but they have not!

The chestnuts make everybody else happy including our neighbours, the boars.

More trees of the Sant valley

Appetizers for squirrels

October 2015: even if the forest is still green, fruits from autumn are there already. They fall earlier than usually, probably due to last nice sunny summer.

Here and there you can see on trails soil the gift mother Nature grants to woods animals, helping them making storage before winter.

Everywhere below oaks are raining acorns, sweet appetizers for squirrels. 

Funny squirrels (English translation)

More trees of the Sant valley

Windy day, hold your hat

End of September 2015, windy day: it’s raining nuts and chestnuts.

In the middle of the trail, a green burr, like a green see urchin in the green ocean.

More trees of the Sant valley

Bumblebees in danger

Bumblebees, as wild bees are very useful for pollinisation, and, as bees, are currently disappearing in large part of the earth.

The photo is of the common carder bee.

This question has been discussed on France Culture radio channel (French version):

http://www.franceculture.fr/player/reecouter?play=5080165

Bumblebee fly music by Nikolaï Rimski-Korsakov

Alive after death

Last October I found a dead tree in the valley, however giving life to a large number of mushrooms.

More mushrooms of the Sant valley

Happy like a goat among rocks

Nice sun that day of October. Right time to climb the mountain and see our goats, Manon and Isard. They find the grass greener there than the grass close to the farm in the valley, without mentioning the nicer view around.

Thank you Simon & Anatole

When leaving the cottage, Simon and Anatole were very sad to say goodbye to Calin, our rabbit.

But they had before leaving a good idea: they asked their mother to keep some carrot tops for Calin who found them delicious!