Our enthusiasm wasn’t affected, however, so we continued to work on identifying the mushroom. No bruising . . . good. Another point for edulis. Reticulation on the upper stem . . . another edulis trait. Everything looked right. All we had left to do was try a spore print, but Kenton was too eager (bad, bad Kenton!), and decided to try a little nibble.

Now, as anyone who knows anything about mushrooms knows, this is not a good idea. Mushrooms can contain some pretty potent toxins, and since we’d barely rank as amateur mushroomers (our harvest is limited to puffballs, morels, chicken of the woods, and hen of the woods), his action was foolhardy at best. Especially as the mushroom did not have the expected pleasant taste. It wasn’t horrible, but it did have a mild bitter taste.

The next day, when we observed our spore prints, the color was totally wrong (bright rust red, instead of olive-brown). We were stumped on our ID, and Kenton reluctantly returned the mushroom to the woods.

The day gave us another surprise, however, as we discovered an elusive and beautiful plant that was once almost extirpated from the Wisconsin forests due to over-harvesting. Does anyone recognize it?

Her encounter with a fox opens up an exploration of the natural world, and the film takes you on a journey into a land that seems like a fairy tale when you’re sitting in front of the television screen.  For all of us who regularly venture out into natural places, however, we’ll recognize an accessible and very real world that she’s discovering — a world of beauty, excitement, wonder, and occasional danger.

Taking us along on her journey, we get to feel the impact of humankind on a rather pristine natural environment.  Most significantly, the film shows how our human minds can shape the natural world around us, turning beauty into fear, and fear into beauty.  And in the end, the film delivers a poignant message about the nature of love.

This is a movie Rebecca and I might actually purchase, not only for its story, but for the incredible footage of foxes and the natural world.  It took our breath away again and again.  It is a great family film, but if you’re a grown-up you have to watch the movie with an open heart, because it isn’t necessarily geared for an adult audience.  Personally, we found ourselves enchanted from start to finish.