Saturday, September 13, 2008

The fungus among-us

Mushrooms or toadstools? The term "toadstool" is nowadays usually used in storytelling when referring to poisonous or suspect mushrooms, so I guess these could be either. I photographed them in late July while visiting "Little War Island," one of the islands on the Danube here. (There's a 'Great War Island', too.) The island used to be significantly larger before WWII, and when construction of New Belgrade began in 1948, the sand from the island was transported to the mainland by large conveyor belts to cover the swamp on which the new city was to be built, and of course therefore reduced the size of the island. What's left of the island is basically a thin strip of land, less than 300 meters long and 60 meters wide. The island is an ecologically protected site, but tours are available and there is also a small beach for swimmers and sun lovers.

FOUR WOMEN

 Four women near an outdoor market downtown.