Nature has reclaimed the abandoned town of Dyea Alaska, once a major port for Klondike goldrush travel. Mushrooms and other fungi thrive where storekeepers once sold supplies to stampeders.
The area is now owned by the National Park Service; some historical artifacts and ruins can be seen on a self-guided walk. Even better, the reclaimed forest was a quiet and beautiful place for a long nature walk — a perfect day trip to escape from the touristy city of Skagway, where we were staying.
At the time of the goldrush, this area was a grassland and the forest is not yet mature … the process known as plant succession is underway here. As it matures, spruce, hemlock, and cottonwood trees will give way to the shade-tolerant western hemlock.
At its present stage, the forest-floor provides the perfect home for mushrooms and fungi. So many varieties that we lost count. (But I think we got pictures of most of them.)
Magical mushroom, I'm sure.
Fungi on parade.
Broken but still beautiful.
Linking this post to Laura's I HEART MACRO; to Judith's MOSAIC MONDAY; and to Michelle's NATURE NOTES.
Thank you to each of these lovely ladies for giving us these opportunities to share and learn.
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