We hiked the trail to Skoatl Point in early fall.   The trail starts at 5000 feet and winds through the forest past Adler Lake, then climbs the rocky slopes of Skoatl Point to the summit.   This is a steep-sided volcanic plug and the route is a bit of climb up the basalt ridges to the top at 8340 feet.

Along the way, we spotted various plants and fungi, some of which are featured here.

Flammulina was in abundance in the forest.    There are about 10 species of flammulina.  Their orange color stands out on the green forest floor.

 

 

Bunchberry (cornus canadensis) flowers were long past and berries were visible along the trail.   The berries are edible but not really worth the effort.

 

 

Queen’s cup (Clintonia uniflora) is a lily which blooms in early summer and now a single blue berry shows a the end of the 15 cm stem.

 

On the rocky talus slopes of Skoatl Point thimbleberry (rubus parviflorus) shurbs had a few berries left but many had gone to seed.   The berries tend to come apart when picked so are not cultivated.   They are not even true berries.   The fruits are a composite of drupelets, each surrounding a single seed.

 

Growing in the talus slopes were various types of saxifrages, now past flowering, forming mats in the spaces between rocks.

 

 

An old horse shelter had collapsed above Adler Lake and mosses had established on the roof.   Haircap moss (Polytrichum commune) is usually found in wet areas. 

 

 

Hedgehog mushroom (hydnum repandum) is easy to identify.   It has spines on the underside rather than gills.   It is edible, though it reportedly gets bitter as it ages. 

 

Flammulina attract our eye as we hike along the trails.   They are both colorful and easy to photograph.

 

 

There were a few stragglers along the way too – lupines, baneberries, buttercups, strawberries, yarrow, and many small white mushrooms (snowy waxcaps).   The first frosts are due up on the plateau and only those plants and fungi in sheltered locations will ddnure the coming of the cold weather.