Super 'shroom pops up

After five days of rain, my yard has quite a collection of mushrooms. Most are rather bland looking, Of the beige variety.

But this big orangey-red mushroom stood out.

My buddy Marilyn L. says:

You have found "The Mushroom of Immortality," according to "The Mushroom Forager" website.

Ganoderma Lucidum or Reishi "is reputed to have analgesic, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, antitumor, antiviral, anti-HIV and blood pressure reducing effect."

Now if you could harvest a crop and exact a dosage... Lana Pharma!

Alas, there is not enough to harvest a crop.

This one was found at the site where a big tree came down during Hurricane Ike, and the stump was ground into sawdust.

On the stump mound I have an old Cadillac hubcap that I picked up during a trip to the family farm in West Texas. The deep well of the hubcap is a perfect water dish for critters, mostly Bluejays that swoop in for a drink.

And I recently discovered a toad lives under the hubcap.

The toad and I both jumped when I picked up the hubcap to rinse it.