The stuff of fairytales

The hollow tree

"The woods are full of the stuff of fairytales" Tinkerbelle said one day. We were walking through the woods as we usually do when she pointed to the hollow tree.  The hollow tree stands at the curve in the path that goes through the woods marking the half-way point. It's a stump of a tree really with holes covering the bark like yawing gateways into a mysterious world. Trees like the hollow tree are often cast as homes for woodland elves or other magical creatures.  "...Or like these fairy helmets" she continued, pointing to a cluster of Mycena growing around a tree stump. So named for their gray bell-shaped caps, fruit bodies of this type have often served as seating at many a fairy function.  "...Or these fly amanita toadstools...." she droned on, pointing to two bright red globes bursting through ground.  These are often extolled as the bounty of garden gnomes. "You just have to know where to look," she finished.

Fairy helmets

Fly amanita toadstools