I went for an autumn hike up the mountain behind my house on Vancouver Island yesterday and came across tons of different kinds of mushrooms and fungi. I posted the following photos of Vancouver Island Mushrooms to Instagram and they’ve been getting a lot of attention (yay!) I’ve even had one person request prints of a couple of the images, so I thought I would share them here as well.

Do you know which mushrooms are which?

I have no idea what kind of mushrooms these are or whether they are edible or not, but they are beautiful and they have me imagining a little gnome community hiding out in the woods behind my house and that makes me smile. If you know what they are, I’d love for you to share your insight in the comments below?

Have a look and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more great daily Vancouver Island and travel photos!

I’ve walked this path a thousand times and I still love every step of it. #homesweethome #cowichan #islandlife #lovingislandliving #vancouverisland #autumn #fall #seasons #explorebc

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:20pm PDT

I found lots of autumn shroomies on my hike with @Roxidoo today. #mushrooms #shrooms #autumn #fall #forest A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 5:48pm PDT

More autumn mushrooms. #mushroom #fungi #autumn #explorebc #cowichan #fall #forest

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:11pm PDT

I have no idea what’s what when it comes to the local wild mushrooms, but I thought these little guys were pretty cute. There are so many different varieties! #mushroom #fungi #shrooms #cowichan #vancouverisland #islandlife #explorebc A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:15pm PDT

More fungi! #mushrooms #fungi #vancouverisland #cowichan #autumn #forest #woods #fall #shrooms

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:53pm PDT

Another unknown mushroom from my woodsy wanders today. I love this time of year! #autumn #mushrooms #shrooms #fungi #fall #vancouverisland #explorebc #cowichan A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:05pm PDT

Can’t you just picture a little gnome sitting under this one? #mushrooms #HomesForGnomes #shrooms #fungi #vancouverisland #cowichan #autumn #fall #explorebc

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:08pm PDT

These are the ones that go “poof” when they dry out and you step on them, sending a tiny cloud of spores into the air. #ilovenature #mushrooms #shrooms #fungi #vancouverisland #cowichan A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:12pm PDT

[Tweet “Check out these #mushroom pics! Do you know what they are? Are they edible? #fungi #food”]

Yesterday I went to another place I’ve never been. Although I had committed to this project as a weekend thing, it seems to have spilled over into the weekdays and I’m loving it. It feels great to be making the most of the summer and this amazing weather we’ve been spoiled with.

The original plan was to hike up to Lynn Peak at Lynn Valley, but due to traffic issues, we decided on a change of venue and ended up heading to hike Hollyburn Moutnain.

It was an easier hike with a few tougher bits that Roxie found to be a challenge and needed some coaxing (and lifting?) to overcome them, but she did it! (Good Doggie!)

I would definitely recommend bringing bug repellent if you plan to do this hike, the mozzies were brutal! Lucky for me, I’m never a mosquito’s first choice on the buffet when there are other people around, so my hiking companion got the brunt of it. So yes, bug spray and a long sleeved shirt for times when it becomes unbearable are recommended.

When we arrived at the top, it was nearing sunset and these were the views we were rewarded with. Simply beautiful!

More images will soon be available on Flickr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(These are just iPhone shots for now, stay tuned for updated images.)