What would be the 1/10 probable alternative in your mind? Maybe a fake rubber mushroom someone glued on the tree as a prank? 😂

Yes, they are definitely chicken of the woods. I’m not sure on species, but it’s a good beginner mushroom because there aren’t any dangerous look-a-likes or even many (any?) shelf mushrooms that are dangerous to eat.

OK, but really - what was the last book that made you cry?

Copying my comment on your other post, wanted to share here as well:

I ran through the field key in Bessettes’ & Roody’s Boletes of Eastern North America.

I think one possibility is: Caloboletus firmus.

The stalk is pretty beat up, but it seems like it might be a net stalk, so I went with Key B-3:

Net Stalks: with pores some shade of orange, tan, buff, red, maroon, brown to dark brown, or nearly black, p. 34

Then I chose:

1b. Pores not radially arranged and some shade of orange, red, maroon, or brown to nearly black → 2

2b. Pores red to orange → 5

5a. Cap whitish to grayish, grayish brown, or grayish olive; pores pinkish to red or red orange, sometimes yellowish at the margin when young, staining blue when bruised → Caloboletus firmus (p. 189)

Yeah, though supposedly SEO could actually penalize articles for something like this, the SEO requirements keep changing but I bet there is a balancing act between keeping SEO happy and keeping up your ad impressions.

Articles are often made intentionally too long (ever notice recipes that force you to scroll through loads of irrelevant copy about the ingredients before you can get to the ingredients list and directions at the bottom?), this probably has to do with advertisements which will fire off when you scroll far enough down the page, it counts like an additional page view and the site makes more money.

Of course - can’t wait to hear how your gardening experiences go, please share updates and photos!

I think cucumbers (and relatives like watermelon, squash, etc.) don’t transplant well due to their sensitive roots, so if you grow them in a large plastic pot, don’t expect to move them around or plant them in the ground later.

It sounds like you have a good approach to the gardening - most beginners take on too much and get overwhelmed. Starting small is really smart. Being clear and realistic about your goals is also a great sign.

Growing in the hotter south I always had trouble with cucumbers coming out too bitter, maybe due to the heat. I haven’t grown them much since, but I have heard from others that cucumbers can be really productive if you give them the right place (needs enough sun, water, and space).

Agreeing with everyone else, Potentilla indica seems likely. The fruits taste watery, not desirable but not toxic.

exactly; there will always be piracy as long as piracy is needed, a post-piracy world is a utopia, even in the worst dystopia people find ways to “pirate”

nice, thank you!

Nice, any thoughts about fertilizing fava beans in particular? I have heard that nitrogen fertilizers cause poor yields for legumes. Maybe it’s poor yields either way at this point, so I might as well try 😅

Harvested some asparagus and solomon’s seal shoots the other day, they were delicious. Dogwoods are leafing out and some early iris blooms are opening. Most daffodils have lost their petals. My fava beans don’t look so great, I think I planted them in too much woodchip mulch. They have flowers, though. I was debating fertilizing them with urine - any thoughts? I generally avoid fertilizing legumes, but the thick woodchip mulch might be an exception?

thanks for this info, I was wondering why PIA isn’t recommended anymore