Thanks to all who joined us for our WORK DAY at the Welcome Center on Friday May 26! (board chair Lori Williams, board member Gene Ollila, director Sparky Stensaas, Murphy Steininger, board member Julie Ollila). We got a tree felled, the pollinator garden weeded, fertilized (“worm tea”) and renewed, the outhouse floor painted, weed whacked around the signs and building, and the outhouse/shed and Welcome Center stained (some spots that had been missed before). We also enjoyed a close look at the “Brain Fungus” (Gyromitra esculenta), a morel-like mushroom that contains a liquid that hydrolizes to MMH (monomethylhydrazine), which is the same gas that is used as a rocket propellant. Needless to say, IT IS NOT A RECOMMENDED EDIBLE! But surely a fascinating fungus.

Lori Williams (foreground) spearheaded the spring cleaning of our pollinator garden and hummingbird feeders.

This is the “Brain Fungus” (Gyromitra esculenta), a morel-like mushroom that contains a liquid that hydrolizes to MMH (monomethylhydrazine), which is the same gas that is used as a rocket propellant. Needless to say, IT IS NOT A RECOMMENDED EDIBLE! But surely a fascinating fungus.

Board Member Gene Ollila sprucing up around the signs

Murphy Steininger doing the dirty work of staining the Welcome Center with oil-based black stain.

The finished garden! Ready for summer! We saw about six species of butterflies and a Ruby-throated Hummingbird during our time here today…Red Admiral, Tiger Swallowtail, Spring Azure, Duskywing sp., Fritillary sp. and the FIRST MONARCH OF THE YEAR!

The newly-painted outhouse floor.