Mushroom Madness Saturday, November 6: Twenty two intrepid budding mycologists of all ages joined in the Conservancy Nature Walk along the Found Road trail. Late fall to early winter is a great time to look for mushrooms, and the group identified many different varieties. Mushrooms are mostly dormant during the dry summers but as the fall rains start, they produce fleshy reproductive, fruiting bodies that pop up through the duff on the forest floor. Despite the lack of an expert mycologist in attendance, the group did very well, using the phone app iNaturalist and an excellent new book, Mushrooms of British Columbia, by Andy MacKinnon and Kem Luther, which was a great help in narrowing down the species being identified, and provided photos and detailed descriptions of the many marvelous mushrooms that grow here.
Fungi Found on Found Road clockwise starting from upper left: Red Belted Conk, Witch’s Jelly, Pinewood Gingertail plus Turkey Tail, Moss Bells, Western Jumbo Gym