Content tagged with "plants"

The black-footed polypore has a wavy cap that is reddish to brownish, becoming darker with age; the texture is dry, smooth, tough, and leathery. The stalk is black, smooth, and off-center.

This fungus grows in large circular clusters, on the ground around stumps of living deciduous trees, especially oaks. It feeds off of dead or dying trees, decomposing them and returning nutrients to the soil—an unglamorous but vital role in the ecosystem.

Colorful wildflowers bloom on Missouri’s prairies in June, attracting bugs, birds and photographers. Here, a ladybug crawls on a blackeyed Susan.