Two Arboretums walks in two days

Yesterday was one of those days of bright brilliant blue made more sudden because the sun is already getting low on the horizon.  Its not fully warm but its sunny and lovely so you dress warm and prepare for sudden squalls and go outside.

Anna, the kids and I went to the Arboretum to collect acorn cups, hunt mushrooms and look at the leaves.  In fall the maples turn a brilliant palette of gold to red.  As you can see, they were looking splendid.

The boys walked around looking for mushrooms and then transformed into bears.  I am not sure why they became bears - at least these bears didn't crawl around as Wren does when he is being a dog.   The bears hid in bushes, ran away, growled from dark corners and pounced on us when we "Do Not See Us"!

Why don't I have a 200 year old maple 'nook'?

The Bears pounce on me.

Acid yellow makes me happy.

Ari escapes from the maple bears, bedecked with leaves.

Leo and Wren climb the same tree Frost climbed
when he was 3.  Leo went Very Much Higher.

The bears hide behind a tree and are persuaded to growl
for the picture

BEAR!  BEAR!

 Of course there were mushrooms
Wren has adopted my pedagogical tone and likes to inform people about mushrooms and "boletes" and "garics" with blithe lack of concern for facts.  As everyone knows, it is authority and not veracity that counts for toddlers.

There was some rivallry to carry the collecting baskets and as a result I ended up with none while Leo and Ari carried them [or rather Leo carried one and Anna carried Ari who carried one] while Wren used his backpack.  Here, Wren opines about a mushroom while Leo politely listens.  

I imagine Wren telling Leo that this mushroom is Not Edible.  "It is Eat Poisonous
not Touch Poisonous."

Hugging a bunch of Chlorophyllum rachodes
I plan to use for stock

Mystery bolete of great decay and stature