Perhaps a little gift from Iceland?
In recent months I would look forward to seeing the growth of these fungi during my daily walks around the Ile d'Or. The biggest were over a foot (30 cm) wide. They just blew me away with their numbers and size on the same tree. Well, that came to a crashing end this weekend as high winds blew down the tree and all its sidekicks with it. It was sad to see.
In the rainy fall it's not surprising to get a basket full of mushrooms from our neighbor who knows well the forest of Amboise. But in August ?! Shows just how much wetter this summer has been than last, when we had a serious drought.
It is a long weekend in France (Pentecost) and in Amboise flower festooned vehicles, people, and animals paraded over the bridge to the Ile d'Or.