The day is typical of a Southern New Jersey July; the woodland near me called, the well-trod trails beckoning me to walk within their cool borders.

I’m so glad I did. I have never seen these small red mushrooms in the past. I’m sure they have grown every summer, but I only spotted them when I bent down to take a macro photo of the moss. Oh my! What a wondrous thing to find.

Smaller than a dime, they are purest red, sprinkled along the path. Maybe they’ve appeared due to all the downpours of rain we have had in the past few days. They look so bright against the green of the moss. Almost a Christmas-in-July combination of colors. I tried to identify them but had too many choices and could not narrow it down.

The woodland showers you with unexpected presents, you only have to look closely.

I find moss so beautiful. It is available to uplift the senses all the year through. Even in winter, if I brush aside the gathered fallen leaves, there I will find the glint of green moss.

Even in the throes of the hottest summer days, you will find a serene coolness in the shadowed canopy of trees. It bewilders me that the woodland trails are not ringing with the sound of children playing. Technology is great, I enjoy my computer and blogging, but if I had to choose…give me the outdoor life.