THE ENCHANTED NATURE NEWSLETTER
Issue 51
August/September 2025
Greetings Enchanted Nature Community
Wishing you all a wonderful upcoming Labor Day weekend. Hopefully you will find some time to enjoy some of summer's show in nature with your loved ones.
Enchanted? Your Choice
“The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists
but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence
of earth, sea, and sky and their amazing life.” - Rachel Carson
Remember that nature’s gifts are never exclusive. They belong to all of us. Whether it’s the song of cicadas in the background of a humid hot day, the array of mushrooms that spring up after a summer rain, or the soft colorful light spilling across the Blue Ridge at sunset, the sensory splendor of the earth is waiting for anyone who pauses to notice. The enchantment lies not in the rarity of these moments, but in our willingness to be present with them.
Each day offers a chance to step outside the rush, breathe deeply, and see the extraordinary hidden in the ordinary. As Rachel Carson reminds us, “The lasting pleasures of contact with the natural world are not reserved for scientists but are available to anyone who will place himself under the influence of earth, sea, and sky and their amazing life.” The choice is ours: to walk past or to be enchanted.
From Our Readers
We sincerely appreciate your contributions!
Your photos make The Enchanted Nature Newsletter
more interesting for the entire Enchanted Nature community.
If any of you see anything enchanting in nature, take a picture and please send it along.
Jack Wilson submitted some interesting insect images this month.
Below we see a Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) on Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)
Monarch butterflies navigate thousands of miles
using an internal compass tied to the sun, turning entire forests
in Mexico into living, fluttering landscapes of orange and black each winter.
.jpg)
The Silver-Spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus), a small but striking butterfly, can be recognized by the gleaming silver patch on its hindwing, which flashes like sunlight as it darts energetically from flower to flower in open fields and forest edges.
.jpg)
WOW! It looks like a convention on top of this daisy. In the center, there appears to be a solitary sweat bee. On the left, we see a crab spider. Crab spiders, Thomisidae spp., are masters of ambush, often lying in wait on flowers, ready to snatch unsuspecting pollinators.
To the right, we see a flea beetle. Flea beetles are tiny leaf-chewing insects
belonging to the family Chrysomelidae. They can leap like miniature
acrobats similare to fleas and are not welcomed in a vegetable garden because
they leave telltale shotgun-hole patterns on the foliage of their favorite plants (see below).
.jpg)
Thank you for sharing your pics with the Enchanted Nature Community Jack!
Eileen Feim shared some fantastic fungal photos this month.
The pic below appears to be a Painted Bolete mushroom. In the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, the Painted Bolete (Boletus mirabilis) can be found forming ectomycorrhizal associations with hardwoods. It has yellow pores and is edible.
In this image, the bioluminescent Jack O’Lantern mushroom (Omphalotus illudens) is fruiting at the base of a decaying tree trunk, while aged Turkey Tails (Trametes versicolor)
form overlapping bracket colonies along the same wood.
Both fungi are white rotters meaning they can decompose lignin. Ompahlotus illudens aggressively decomposes the harder/tougher wood lignin while Trametes versicolor has the ability to degrade lignin as well as cellulose and hemicellulose. Dead wood in the forest is not only habitat for many life forms, it is food for and host of fungi and insects.
The Shaggy Stalk Bolete (Strobilomyces strobilaceus) stands out in our forests with its reddish pileus and shaggy stipe. This photo illustrates finding enchantment in the forest.
The muted tones of leaf litter and deadwood contrasting with
the sentinel mushroom display the variety of
dramatic textures and forms we can find if we pay attention.
Excellent pics Eileen! Thanks for sharing with the community.
Thank you for your submissions! May the forest be with you.
Remember, if you can't get enough fungal fun,
Check out the articles at the
Please send us your pics and queries:
adventures@enchantednaturetours.com
You can also text your pics & questions to (540) 324-8778.
From The Writers
American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) is a slow-growing perennial
native to the shady hardwood forests of eastern North America
with an intriguing history worth reading.
In late summer, it produces clusters of bright red berries like the ones shown below. For centuries, earliest settlers of the continent used ginseng as a powerful medicinal plant, and by the 18th century it had become one of the first major exports from North America to China, where it is still highly valued. Today, wild ginseng populations have declined sharply due to overharvesting and habitat loss. It is now listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and considered threatened in many states, making careful stewardship essential to its survival.
"I must have flowers, always and always" - Claude Monet
A striking red Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) stands out in a patch of Jewelweed. Cardinal flower is a favorite of hummingbirds because of its bright red color, tubular shaped bloom and abundant nectar. Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) shimmer in the sunlight and are famous for their skin-soothing sap that can calm poison ivy rashes.
Looking Forward and Planning
By: Victoria Vacher
Everyone knows there is a National day and month for nearly EVERYTHING!
September, however, is very special to us, being Mycologists...
September is National Mushroom Month!
It was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to highlight the benefits of mushrooms
and fungi that our earth and culinary arts enjoy. Last year's summer and September were very disappointing for mushroom hunters until the end of the September when the outer rain bands from a hurricane arrived. It rained and rained and rained for days. All of a sudden we found ourselves in MUSHROOM HEAVEN!!!
Coming out of a terrible drought in our area it was as if when the rains
came, the entire earth sprang back to life! Mycelium that had been lying dormant,
just waiting for the right conditions awakened and like magic,
overnight we had Turkey Tails, Inky Caps, Puffballs and a
plethora of assorted mushrooms (some that were very large) growing everywhere;
Just in time for the first annual Enchanted Mushroom Festival!
Make some plans for September to appreciate fungi with your loved ones.
Whether it's in the wilderness, a local park or
a stroll around the neighborhood, fungi are everywhere.
Planning an adventure is half of the fun!
This year has brought ample amounts of precipitation.
It has been somewhat inconvenient as weeks of daily rain left our landscapes constantly muddy
and made trying keeping up with outdoor chores difficult, if not impossible.
Mushroom enthusiasts in our area have enjoyed finding and foraging mushrooms
throughout spring and summer and rural folks are
happy to have our aquifers recharged after years of less than adequate rainfall.
As we look forward, it is time to start planning to experience the
Second Annual Enchanted Mushroom Festival
on Saturday,October 4th, 2025
YOU ARE INVITED so please make some plans and add the date to your calendars.
It will be an exciting, fun and educational day with something for everyone.
There will be an outdoor market featuring local artisans, vendors and farmers.
There will be food vendors with an array of sumptuous selections sure to satisfy
even the pickiest eaters. Entertainment and educational speakers
will include multiple musicians and presentations ranging from
mycology to bat conservation to martial arts.
The fungi exhibit will have new and fascinating information concerning the
essential role fungi play in life as we know it as well as other interesting topics.
The festival is family-friendly and free. There will be a children's area with games and free face painting. Local businesses, including The Necessary Mercantile
will be participating and the whole downtown of Churchville will be full of mushroom festival spirit.
Mushrooms are most certainly having a moment (and have been for the last few years) in the U.S. More people than ever are recognizing their value in eco-remediation of the planet, their medicinal/health values, contributions to culinary arts and so much more...
Fungi are fun to appreciate with observation and with photography.
You might want to take your appreciation to the next level and learn foraging; a FREE, family-friendly, healthy activity. That being said, check the rules for legal areas before you forage.
Virginia State Parks, for instance, want you to kill nothing but time
take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but footprints.
If you're considering beginning mushroom foraging, the most important rule is:
NEVER EAT A MUSHROOM WITHOUT BEING 100% CERTAIN IT IS SAFE!!!
If you would like to know more about this intriguing hobby,
Plan on attending our Enchanted Nature Introduction to Mushroom Foraging class.
We welcome and encourage you to join us for a fun and informative one-day workshop
on Sunday, September 14, 2025, 11am-3pm. Bring a friend or family member.
Enchanted Nature News
October is a busy time in the Shenandoah Valley due to autumn foliage and other activities in the region.
Please consider planning your mushroom festival accommodation reservations immediately.
You can find recommendations on our
Todd Messegee, professor at Bridgewater College and CEO of Run Cat Run Media, along with his wife/producer/realtor Lisa Messegee attended one of our mushroom classes. Todd filmed some of the class and together they created a short film about Enchanted Nature. They also got a behind the scenes exclusive.
Things are GROWING well!
Enchanted Nature's Fresh Mushrooms
and Mushroom Extracts available at
The Necessary Mercantile in Churchville, VA
Enchanted Nature Mushroom Extracts:
Small batch, hand made, full spectrum
extracts made with whole fruiting bodies.
We source, forage or grow the mushrooms locally.
Our extracts can be purchased at:
The Necessary Mercantile, The Cheese Shop, Polyface Farms or
you can order on The Enchanted Nature Trading Post
Planning is Part of the Adventure
Our lives are often so busy that simply finding a moment to breathe can feel impossible. Between work, errands, and endless responsibilities, the idea of scheduling time for something purely enjoyable can seem like another impossible task. Consider, there’s a special kind of joy in planning for those moments. Whether it’s a quiet afternoon in nature, a mushroom hunting class, or attending a mushroom festival, organizing the experience becomes part of the pleasure. Anticipating the sights, sounds, and flavors, imagining the friends you’ll meet or the skills you’ll learn, planning isn’t a chore,
it’s the first step in the adventure itself.
Findings reported in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, suggest that keeping a few snapshots of greenery around yourself might be beneficial. When participants viewed the natural images in the experiment, their stress levels lowered, thanks to the activation of their parasympathetic nervous system – which controls certain rest functions. "Viewing green scenes may thus be particularly effective in supporting relaxation and recovery after experiencing a stressful period and thereby could serve as an opportunity for micro-restorative experiences and a promising tool in preventing chronic stress and stress-related diseases."
Take a deep breath, hold it, and let it out slowly as you relax.
NATURE IS CALLING, WILL YOU ANSWER
There are many proven health benefits to spending time in nature. It has also been proven that just looking at images of nature can provide multiple health benefits including: reducing depression, speeding healing, improving your immune system, preventing dementia, improving your mood, and increasing happiness. We plan on ending each newsletter with a short video of a natural scene. Hopefully the videos will provide you with some of the benefits listed above.