John Miller
Mushroom foraging is a fun and rewarding hobby, but it can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. To avoid poisoning, it's important to get familiar with the characteristics of the mushrooms you're looking for, their habitats, growing seasons, and edibility or toxicity. You can do this by buying a mushroom field guide for your area, joining a local mycological group, or using online resources. When foraging, it's best to look for mushrooms near creeks, swamps, or wooded areas bordering natural clearings. You should also pay attention to the weather, as mushroom fruiting is affected by rain. Remember, only eat a mushroom if you're 100% sure it's edible.
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What You'll Learn
- Where to look: wooded areas, creek/swampy areas, near trails, clearings, and fallen trees?
- Tree identification: learn to spot diseased/dying trees, elms, oaks, spruces, firs, pines, etc
- Weather conditions: mushrooms fruit after rain; search in early spring/fall at lower elevations
- Mushroom characteristics: colour, shape, gills, smell, taste, and spore prints
- Safety: learn the top poisonous mushrooms and always carry a mushroom identification book
Where to look: wooded areas, creek/swampy areas, near trails, clearings, and fallen trees
When hunting for mushrooms, it's important to know that you don't have to go deep into the woods to find them. Fungi thrive in wet and moist conditions, so look for wooded areas that border natural clearings, or follow trails that slope down toward a creek, swamp, or boggy area.
You can also use apps like All Trails to find trails where people have spotted mushrooms. Chanterelles, for example, like to grow in mossy coniferous forests and mountainous birch forests. If you're looking for specific types of mushrooms, it's worth looking up their habitat.
Mushrooms often grow on trees, so it's worth educating yourself on tree identification. You should be able to identify diseased or dying trees, like elms and oaks. Fallen trees and logs, especially on the bottom of slopes, are great places to find mushrooms. Some mushrooms, like the crown coral mushroom, only grow on decaying logs, while others, like the lion's mane, grow on living trees. The cherry knot fungus grows on injured cherry and plum trees.
Other mushrooms, like the coral tooth fungus and the bearded tooth mushroom, prefer dying and fallen oak trees covered in moss. The enokitake, or velvet shank mushroom, is a parasite that grows on elms. Witches' butter is a yellow jelly fungus often found on fallen branches. Turkey tails are a common mushroom that grows on the stumps and logs of deciduous trees.
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Tree identification: learn to spot diseased/dying trees, elms, oaks, spruces, firs, pines, etc
When identifying diseased or dying trees, it is important to look for specific signs and symptoms. Here are some tips for spotting problems in elms, oaks, spruces, firs, and pines, as well as information on how to search for mushrooms under trees:
Elms
Dutch elm disease is a common issue caused by an invasive fungal pathogen. It is spread through grafted root systems and elm bark beetles. Symptoms include leaves turning yellow, wilting, and then turning brown, starting from the outer crown and moving towards the trunk. Fallen leaves in summer and missing or hanging branches are also signs of this disease. The bark of a dying elm may crack or split, appearing more gray than brown.
Oaks
Oak trees can be affected by various diseases, including bacterial leaf scorch, Armillaria root rot, anthracnose, and powdery mildew. Bacterial leaf scorch is caused by Xylella fastidiosa and results in browned, dying, or dead areas on the leaves with a yellow border. Armillaria root rot causes poor growth, chlorotic foliage, and eventual death. It is caused by Armillaria fungi, which infect the roots and lower trunk. Powdery mildew forms a whitish coating on leaf surfaces during dry, cloudy, and humid weather.
Spruces
Spruce trees, particularly the Colorado blue spruce, are susceptible to Rhizosphaera needle cast, a disease caused by the fungus Rhizosphaera kalkhoffii. It is identified by tiny raised black dots in lines on the needles, which are spore-producing structures. Older needles turn brown while new needles remain green. To prevent this disease, avoid shearing, which creates dense growth that stays wet, providing favourable conditions for the fungus.
Pines
Pine trees can be affected by needle loss or discoloration, which could indicate a fungal disease. such as annosus root rot or brown spot needle blight. Circular gray-green spots on the needles that enlarge and form narrow brown bands are characteristic of brown spot needle blight. This disease spreads in wet weather and can be controlled by prescribed burning or fungicide sprays.
Firs
Firs, along with other conifers, can be susceptible to parasitic fungi such as Chaga, which typically grow on birch tree trunks in cold climates. Chaga appears as a dense black mass on the tree trunk and is known for its immune-boosting and cancer-fighting properties.
Mushrooms Under Trees
Mushrooms that grow under trees, such as elms, oaks, and pines, can provide valuable clues about the health of the tree and the ecosystem. Oyster mushrooms, for example, are commonly found at the base of dying trees and are prized for their culinary and medicinal properties. Artist's conk mushrooms create massive, fan-shaped fruiting bodies and have medicinal benefits when consumed as a tincture or tea. Reishi mushrooms, identified by their deep red to brown caps, also have medicinal uses and grow at the base of dead or dying trees.
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Weather conditions: mushrooms fruit after rain; search in early spring/fall at lower elevations
Mushrooms are sensitive to weather conditions and climate changes. They require moisture, mild temperatures, and elevated humidity to grow. Consecutive nights of temperatures above 50°F are ideal for mushroom growth. Prolonged daytime temperatures in the 60s and nighttime temperatures in the 50s are also conducive to mushroom growth. Additionally, a ground temperature of between 45 and 50°F, 5 to 8 inches below the surface, is optimal.
Mushrooms typically grow a few days to two weeks after rainfall. They thrive in moist conditions, so look for them near creeks, swamps, or bogs. They can also be found in wooded areas bordering natural clearings, along trails, and near diseased or dying trees, especially elms and oaks. Fallen trees and logs, especially at the bottom of slopes, are also good places to search.
Spring and fall are the best seasons for mushroom foraging. In the spring, look for Pheasant Back mushrooms, also known as Dryad's saddle, which grow on dead elm trees a few days after heavy rain. Oyster mushrooms, which grow on fallen trees along waterways, also appear in spring and fall. In the fall, you can find Chicken of the Woods mushrooms, which grow on dead trees and logs and are easily identifiable by their bright orange color and smooth texture.
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Mushroom characteristics: colour, shape, gills, smell, taste, and spore prints
Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. They usually have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus), and gills (lamellae) on the underside of the cap. The gills produce microscopic spores, which help the fungus spread across the ground.
Colour
The colour of the mushroom can be an important indicator of its type and edibility. For example, the Russula genus is indicated by a combination of a red and white cap, white gills, and a white spore print. The colour of the spore print is particularly useful for classifying and identifying mushrooms. While spore print colours include white, brown, black, purple-brown, pink, yellow, and creamy, they are almost never blue, green, or red.
Shape
Mushrooms typically have a cap and a stem. The shape of the cap can vary, from slightly upturned to convex. The stem may or may not have a ring around it, which can be skirt-like, collar-like, or faint remnants of a cortina (a partial veil composed of filaments resembling a spiderweb). The gills can be free, meaning they do not extend to the top of the stalk, or decurrent, extending down the stalk. There are also attached gills, which include adnate gills, notched gills, and adnexed gills.
Gills
The gills of a mushroom are an important feature for identification. They can be white, cream, yellow, or white, and may be attached to the stem or free. The gills produce spores, which can be collected as a spore print to help with identification.
Smell
Only a small number of mushrooms can be identified by their smell. Many poisonous mushrooms have a pleasant, typical mushroom smell, so it is not advisable to eat any mushrooms that you cannot identify to the exact species.
Taste
A taste test can be a good way to determine the edibility of a mushroom, but it should only be attempted when you are certain the mushroom is from the Russula family. If a tiny amount placed on the tongue has a burn-like chilli sensation, the mushroom is poisonous. If it has a pleasant mushroomy taste, it is edible, and if it has an unpleasant taste, it is not something you would want to eat anyway.
Spore Prints
Spore prints can be obtained by removing the stem and placing the mushroom gills-down on a piece of clear glass or paper for a few hours, preferably overnight. The colour of the spore print can then be used to help identify the mushroom.
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Safety: learn the top poisonous mushrooms and always carry a mushroom identification book
Safety is paramount when foraging for mushrooms. While many mushrooms are edible, some are poisonous and can cause serious harm or even death. It is important to learn how to identify the top poisonous mushrooms and always carry a mushroom identification book when foraging.
One of the most notorious and deadly mushrooms is the death cap (Amanita phalloides), which is found throughout Europe and resembles several edible mushrooms, including straw mushrooms and Caesar's mushrooms. Ingesting a death cap can lead to liver and kidney failure and death. Another deadly mushroom is the destroying angel (Amanita verna), which is a group of several species of all-white mushrooms that closely resemble edible button mushrooms and meadow mushrooms. Ingesting a destroying angel can cause vomiting, delirium, convulsions, diarrhoea, liver and kidney failure, and often lead to death.
Other highly toxic mushrooms include the webcap, which has two species: the deadly webcap (Cortinarius rubellus) and the fool's webcap (Cortinarius orellanus). These mushrooms contain the poison orellanin, which causes symptoms similar to the flu, and can lead to kidney failure and death if left untreated. The autumn skullcap (Galerina marginata) is another poisonous mushroom that is sometimes mistaken for hallucinogenic mushrooms. It contains the same amatoxins as the death cap mushroom and can be found throughout the Northern Hemisphere and parts of Australia.
In addition to learning about these poisonous mushrooms, it is crucial to carry a mushroom identification book when foraging. A comprehensive guide can help you accurately identify edible mushrooms and avoid toxic ones. Remember, if you are ever unsure about a mushroom's identity, it is best to leave it alone.
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Frequently asked questions
Mushrooms thrive in wet or moist conditions, so look out for trails that slope down towards a creek or swampy areas. You can also find them in wooded areas bordering natural clearings, near fallen trees and logs, and at the bottom of slopes.
The most deadly and poisonous mushroom family is Amanita, which nearly always have white gills. The Death Cap (Amanita phalloides) causes the most poisoning worldwide.
Edible mushrooms typically have brown or tan gills and tan, brown, or white caps and stems. Porcini mushrooms, for example, are identified by their medium-sized brown caps and bulbous stems, and they grow near spruces, firs, and pines. Chanterelles have small caps with a concave center and are yellow to golden-yellow in color, and they are often found under hardwood trees and conifers.
You can buy a mushroom field guide for your region or join a local mycological group that promotes the study of mushrooms and may hold educational events.
