Identifying Cottonwood Trees How to find black cottonwood for early-season mushroom hunting in the PNW Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) is one of the most important trees for early-season mushroom hunting in Western Washington. While our region is dominated by conifers, cottonwoods grow along rivers, streams, and lake margins — and they’re among the first trees…
Before most edible spring mushrooms start flushing here in the Pacific Northwest we start to see stinging nettles. In fact, one of my most anticipated signs of spring are the nettles popping up in the green spaces around our home in NW Seattle. The deep emerald color of nettles are a herald of warmer times…
Trent of Modern Forager posted about whether it is safe to eat morels foraged in burn zones where fire retardant may have been used. You can find the original post here. Here are my key takeaways from the article. Firefighters have much greater exposure to these chemicals than a typical forager. The Forest Service assessment…
Introduction Mushroom edibility is not a simple yes or no. Even widely eaten species cause reactions in some people. Some foragers in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe eat Gyromitra esculenta after repeated boiling, but that does not reliably remove its toxin, and we do not recommend eating it. Reactions vary from person to person and with…
April 2023 was a month of the false morel known as Verpa. These are among the first of the mushrooms to show up in the spring. They begin fruiting with cottonwoods at low elevations and then move into the foothills as the season progresses. — Learn more about Verpa bohemica here — Apr 1-2 My…
A replay from 4 Apr 2023 seminar for the VanDusen Botanical Garden. Replays are viewable for all Intro and Full-level accounts
Morels and Related Mushrooms Learn more about Pacific Northwest morels here
Finding Morels in Washington Where, when, and how to hunt the Pacific Northwest’s most prized spring mushroom Morels are the mushroom that gets Pacific Northwest foragers out of winter hibernation. From landscape woodchips in March to high-elevation burn sites in July, morel season in Washington stretches across four months and multiple distinct habitats. This guide…
I just finished the first version of a PNW Boletes illustration. It sorts our boletes into general groups by genus, which should help simplify things. Beginners interested in edible boletes should start with Boletus, the king boletes, which are common, tasty, and among the easier boletes to identify. The admirable bolete (Aureoboletus mirabilis) is another…
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