Monday, June 21, 2010

Stalking My Prey

I am the great hunter. I prowl through the forest searching for anything I can catch. I am light on my feet, and I don't make a sound as I stalk gracefully and stealthily in attack mode. I crouch down with my weapon in position, ready for anything. Then I see my target, sitting there quietly and unknowingly on an old fallen log.

I point my weapon at it, and then, FLASH, I hit my prey right where it counts! There is no movement whatsoever as I now confidently approach, but I know there still might be others. I then pounce into action! I'm upon this little morsel before it knows I even exist! This mushroom never suspected I was coming.

Yup, that's what I said. Mushroom. It's a strange looking fella for being a mushroom, but a fungus is a fungus, and among us. That rhymes, or my name isn't Slippery Sam. Oh, wait, my name isn't... Ah forget it! You all know my name is Ratty, and I claim to be a human that dresses up like a giant mouse. No wonder I never show any pictures of me!

All I have for you are pictures of animals and other cool beasties from the world of nature. And this time I have this strange mushroom. These things seem to like my forest. At one time I knew just what this one might be, but I'll just be content to show it to you today. Who needs all that technical mumbo jumbo anyway?

What we all really want is the strange fantasy land that we sometimes call nature. Oh, by the way, this is a closeup of that strange mushroom. Nature can be a fantasy land for anyone, or it can be anything we want. You can go out there and imagine it to be anything you want, because it has everything.

I sometimes pretend I'm a wild predator, out there to hunt the other cute little animals. They don't like that, but I find it amusing. Sometimes I pretend to be the main character in one of those shoot 'em up video games. My camera is the gun. I have to use stealth to shoot my targets. Getting what I want helps win the game. And sometimes it's just me, enjoying the peace and harmony of nature and all its creatures. Ain't Nature Grand?


Nature Center Magazine - Some of you have requested it, so I have a Cool Nature Video this time like never before! In this video I finally give you a glimpse into what a typical day with Ratty is really like. This is a look into my own personal nature fantasy world. The main character may be familiar to many of you. Can you guess who he might be?

14 comments:

  1. This is a delightful post, and you're such a great story teller! The mushroom is fantastic.

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  2. Fun story to go with your pic. Wonder what kind this is, perhaps someone knows.I love the shapes to be found with fungus families.

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  3. You are a good hunter.

    Flash, and you have captured their souls.

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  4. That mushroom is quite pretty when you see it up close. Great picture. Good story too. I bet there are hundreds of kinds of mushrooms.
    Have a great week.

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  5. Nature is grand indeed and I see your imagination is also. Loved the creativity you put into this post. As long as you keep it going that way you'll never be bored because you know how to amuse yourself and that's a good thing. That is a very odd looking mushroom but pretty at the same time.

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  6. oh, it looks like a bamboo pith, wish that is edible too, looks like yummy :)

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  7. Ratty, what an imagination you have! I really don't like mushrooms, but the one in the pics, especially the close-up, is so interesting and quite pretty. It reminds me of coral.

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  8. That was quite amusing - you are a fierce mushroom hunter! I think the mushrooms of the forest had better watch out...

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  9. What an unusual find, Ratty...this one is amazing.

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  10. Ratty, I love your sense of humor. This a a delightful post! Oh...can we call you Slippery Sam now?:-D)

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  11. You are a great hunter that does not eat its prey, but captures it for all to see.

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  12. That mushroom is like fungus for us Chinese to cook as a dessert with sweet potatoes. Can you try to eat it Ratty? :)

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  13. Great find Ratty. In your first photo from a distance I thought you had found a type of Lichen but the mushroom is even better. It is really beautiful in the macro.

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  14. Good humor Ratty. =D You've got to be the stealthiest hunter to bring all the jungle stars for us daily. And these mushrooms or fungi look just too gorgeous for a fungus. Remind me of the beautiful coral polyps on the seabed.

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