Yes, I know, it's a mushroom or fungus, not soil. Those of you who are aficionados of the Apollo program, and in particular the legendary Jack Schmitt's Apollo 17 mission, will know what I'm alluding to.

(For the rest of you, if you want to learn a little trivia about lunar geology you can do so HERE. Head straight for the discussion at 145:28:39 mission elapsed time if you want to cut to the chase.)

You see, at this time of year, EVERYTHING, and I mean EVERYTHING in Minnamurra is green, brown or grey. The plants, the birds, the wildlife, all of it. Signs on some of the trees talk of purple or yellow flowers or fruits on some of the trees in summer, but I have yet to visit during that time.

But as I'm walking along, I see... this. The first time I've seen anything in the non-green/brown part of the spectrum since I left the visitors' centre.

So as you can understand, my reaction was not unlike Senator Dr. Schmitt's when HE discovered a colour that he just wasn't expecting.

And no, I have no idea what the fungus is, yet. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below.