Someone recently asked about harvesting mushrooms near a quarry and wondered if I had any specific guidelines surrounding this. I asked a friend and soil scientist for his feelings on this. Here are some of the things he had to say about it What was quarried? Usually quarries are for stone or sand, so there…
I just finished the first version of a PNW Boletes illustration. These are organized into general groups by Genus which should help to simplify things. Beginners intersted in edible boletes should focus on the Boletus genus first since these are more common, tasty, and easier to identify. Aureoboletus mirabilis known commonly as the Admirable Bolete…
One of the things we are learning to accept with dry summers is annual forest fires. This image was taken on Saturday from Mount Erie in Anacortes. The camera filter exaggerated the sepia tones but I think it still captures the apocalyptic feel outside over the past few days. Where is all of this smoke…
Lesson Plans for Mushrooms There has been an increasing level of interest among educators for lesson plans or curricula related to mushrooms and the fungal kingdom. I have started creating lesson plans targeting middle school students and will begin sharing by this fall. In the meantime, I have a list of what I feel are…
I have had some of the best luck finding summer mushrooms in the Olympics and along the Straight of Juan de Fuca on Vancouver Island. If I could choose anywhere right now, I would pick coastal Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Still, I managed to find a Bears Head (Hericium) last weekend in the western…
Have you found a small yellow mushroom growing with a houseplant? It is quite likely to be a mushroom native to tropical areas but found throughout the US with potted plants. This mushroom known as Leucocoprinus birnbaumii Leucocoprinus birnbaumii more Where did it come from? These mushrooms are native to the tropics however they are…
Toadstool is an informal word for a mushroom with certain aesthetic. These mushrooms have a typical umbrella-like cap and central stem growing from the ground. The term toadstool does not refer to any specific mushroom. The most classic example of a toadstool is Amanita muscaria or Fly Agaric. This conspicuous mushroom has a red cap,…
Learning to forage and identify mushrooms in the Pacific Northwest takes time. I would like to share some of my favorite sites and apps to help speed up your learning. Even experienced mushroom foragers would likely find a few surprises in here. The best time to pick mushrooms Chanterelles, boletes, morels, and other edible mushrooms…
A group of us met up in the Lake Wenatchee area on Saturday to look for spring kings (Boletus rex-veris). Both morels and spring kings are found predominently in the eastern Cascades. Morels are the first to show up in early May and boletes later in the month and into June or even July at…