Encounters with Lion's Mane and Other Fall Mushroom

It's remarkably easy for a novice to identify some of the more distinctive mushrooms online, or at least make an educated guess. Please don't eat these photos, or the mushrooms in them, based on these likely identities. No expertise is claimed here, or knowledge of their edibility, just a pleasure at so easily finding lookalikes on the web.

Yesterday, we were out at Herrontown Woods, searching for the old telephone poles that lead from Herrontown Road to the Veblen Cottage, when I spotted this fungus on a tree. Its form looked like stalactites, so I later googled "stalactite mushroom" and up popped a lookalike: the lion's mane, or Hericium erinaceus for long. The mushroom is white at first, then turns yellow with time.

It's also called the pom pom mushroom, here growing on a red maple that's still alive but has a bit of serendipitous rot here and there. Mushrooms teach us that a little rot can be a good thing, especially out in the woods.

Another mushroom encountered in Herrontown Woods looks a lot like Hen of the Woods (Grifola frondosa) which interestingly is native to both Asia and North America. Again, this identification is going on superficial appearance only, so please don't eat this image. You'd almost certainly eat your cell phone or computer screen in the process, and they can contain components that are indigestible or even toxic, and often carry spam messages that have been known to spread viruses.

More fairy rings have been popping up around town, whether in Herrontown Woods or in the expansive lawn in front of Westminster Choir College. If you look closely, you can see the other mushrooms that roughly describe a circle in the photo.

This mushroom at Linden and Hamilton brought to mind the word "chanterelle", which it is not, but googling what it is not led to what it is. A search for "chanterelle", then a click on "images", brought forth a photo that looked similar, and a post that distinguished chanterelles from Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms.

Unlike chanterelles, which grow in the forest, Jack-O-Lantern mushrooms (Omphalotus illudens) grow in bunches in suburban lawns, often near stumps.

The ease with which these likely mycological identities were found is a reminder that we live in a golden age of information. A few words rattling around the brain (chanterelle, stalactite, hen of the woods) was all that was needed to conjure a potpourri of possible lookalikes.

That fallacies prosper in the political world when truth is a click or two away reminds me of what happened to steam locomotives, or what will happen to internal combustion engines when electric cars take over. Technologies reach their zenith just before their demise, and perhaps the same will hold for information. By the time the world in its wondrous beauty and complexity has been fully captured on the internet in easily searchable form, humanity will have been drawn away by fabulous fabrications that cater to resentment rather than wonder. May these words prove more edible than the photos.

Mushrooming in Nature's Living Room

Our Friends of Herrontown Woods nonprofit hosted a mushroom walk last weekend. Philip Poniz (right), who had offered to co-lead, began by saying he is not an expert, but offered as evidence of his knowledge that he had been foraging for many years and is still alive. In keeping with the egalitarian nature of our walks, others contributed their knowledge as well, including Peter Ihnat (left in the photo).

The weather had been dry, and scouting around a few days before, I had found only one mushroom rising from the ground. It was quickly identified by Philip and others as an "avenging angel", one of the most poisonous mushrooms of all. If the angels are seeking revenge, what hope do we have? This is why, in addition to any laws against foraging on public lands, I encouraged participants to only harvest knowledge and pleasure during the walk.

We headed up the red trail (check out the newly completed, remarkable remarking of trails at Herrontown Woods in our updated brochure), past the Veblen cottage, finding a few fungi here and there, clinging to fallen logs.

I didn't ask what this one was, found during the scouting trip, but it looks reminiscent of a fungus called turkey tail. One participant asked if observing what animals eat can give clues as to which mushrooms are edible. We heard a story of two squirrels being tracked after having eaten a certain mushroom. Both died. Some animals may get more tutelage from their elders than others.

There was another story about the "big laughing Jim" mushroom, which can contain varying amounts of psilosybin.

Though the mushrooms would have preferred rain, we basked in the comfort of dappled shade, heading off trail to see Herrontown Woods' special mix of nature and culture, scrutinizing the fungal legacy on trees toppled by past windstorms.

The beech forest on the far side of the pipeline right of way has a nice open feel. We were happy with our modest findings, the day, the woods, the company, but a surprise awaited that ended the walk with an appropriate exclamation point.

Most of us had already walked by, but filmmaker Andrea Odezynska had the eye to spot this foot-tall mushroom growing on the bare ground where a tree had been uprooted. Books came out, a name was tentatively offered: 

"stalked polypore?", 

the stuff of lore, 

what we'd all been waiting for. 

We pulled out our cameras and surrounded it as if we were the mama-and-paparazzi, and it were a movie star. It seemed unfazed.

Afterwards, many stayed on for refreshments and conversation next to Veblen House, just off the beaten trail. Thanks to all who contribute to our Friends of Herrontown Woods, and our work to maintain the trails, restore habitat and bring the wonderful Veblen legacy to life for the community.

Foraging on the internet, I found this site: The Three Foragers, a family that has delved deep into wild edibles and speaks to the riches nature has to offer, and the importance of foraging carefully and responsibly. Though foraging is highly discouraged at Herrontown Woods and other nature preserves, the walk offered food for thought (a much safer food than wild mushrooms!) on how we can safely and sustainably connect to the nature around us in more than an observational way.

Mushroom Walk at Herrontown Woods, Sunday, Sept. 25, 2pm

Today's rain may have been auspicious, not just because we needed rain, but because the Friends of Herrontown Woods will host a combination mushroom/nature walk Sunday, Sept. 25, at 2pm, led by mushroom expert Philip Poniz.

I'll be there as well, to speak of all things green in case not many mushrooms show up for the mushroom walk (why wouldn't they?).

The walk is free, but donations are welcome to support restoration of the natural and cultural heritage of Herrontown Woods, Princeton's first nature preserve. We'll end at Veblen House for some refreshments.

Meet at the Herrontown Woods parking lot, across Snowden Lane from Smoyer Park. Maps can be found at http://www.fohw.org/p/maps. html. Check the FOHW.org site in case weather's iffy.

Fairy Ring Mushrooms

Princeton's mushroom community has responded well to recent rains. This one's looking like a Lepiota, a poisonous mushroom that can form rings in lawns as the mycelium radiates outward from its beginnings years back.

This one is growing in a remarkably straight line, which somewhat plausibly could be a remnant of a very large circle,

while this grouping is shaped in a half circle. According to this link, the darker grass at the leading edge of the circle is due to the grass's utilizing nitrogen made available by the fungi. Grass on the inside of the circle can be stunted.

Herrontown Woods Nature Walk -- This Sunday, Sept. 8, 11-1

Update: We had a good walk on a glorious day. About 20 people participated, despite the short notice. The most memorable find was a brightly colored edible mushroom called Chicken of the Woods. A friend who eats wild mushrooms was nearby, and while we continued our walk, she went back to harvest the mushrooms. 

Two days later, we were invited over for a meal of wild mushrooms on pasta. She sauteed the softest portions of the mushrooms with onion and garlic. 

____________________________________

I will lead a nature walk this Sunday, Sept. 8, from 11-1 at Herrontown Woods. Meet at the Botanical Art Garden (the "Barden"), next to the main parking lot, 600 Snowden Lane in Princeton. 

Come early for coffee and baked treats at our monthly May's Cafe, 9-11. 

Great Lobelia is one of many native wildflowers currently blooming in the forest clearing known as the Barden. 

A Duck Gets a Taste of Spring

Our Pekin duck has been finding more reason to venture out of the coop this week. There's mud to probe with its beak, and the luxury of a bath in one of our backyard ponds swelled by snowmelt from neighbors' yards. She had no problem breaking through the thin layer of ice left by last night's freeze.

Earlier in the month, finding water in its liquid state was more of a challenge, as she took sips from the fillable-spillable minipond catching water from the roof.

She keeps a sharp eye out for hawks, turning her head to get a better look at the sky. Usually, that turn of the head means something's flying over, be it a vulture, crow, hawk, or a jet headed into Newark Airport.

Meanwhile, the duck's companion, a chicken of similar feather, was laying another robin's-egg-blue egg. We often get two a day now, as warmer temperatures and longer days have broken the winter drought.

Ducks and chickens made multiple appearances in movies this weekend at the Princeton Environmental Film Festival, particularly in the excellent documentary on permaculture, "Inhabit". The ducks were said to be excellent at keeping the slug population down on an outdoor shitake mushroom farm, and the chickens happily batted cleanup in one of the crop rotations, eating any seeds that eluded harvest.

New: Field Guide to Mushrooms in Herrontown Woods

Thanks to Peter Ihnat and his daughter Raisa for sharing their extensive knowledge of mushrooms in a Field Guide to the Wild Mushooms and Fungi of Herrontown Woods. 

Peter and Raisa return today, Sunday, August 4, to Herrontown Woods to lead a mushroom walk from 11am - 1pm. 

Raisa posts about the mushrooms she encounters on her instagram account, foragingwithraisa.

Maria Pinto Speaks on Mushrooms at Labyrinth Bookstore, 2/19

As reported in TapIntoPrinceton, the Labyrinth Bookstore will be hosting a talk about mushrooms by naturalist, forager, and educator Maria Pinto, Thursday, Feb. 19, at 6pm. 

Ms. Pinto's broad interests in cultural and ecological interconnections inform her approach to this fascinating subject. Our Friends of Herrontown Woods is co-sponsoring the event. More info about Ms. Pinto and a colorful description of her debut book is on the Labyrinth website.

If you type "mushroom" into the search box of this blog (top left corner on a computer), you get various posts about mushrooms. 

Herrontown Woods News

I've been posting some Herrontown Woods news at FOHW.org. There's the saga of the moving of the gazebo to the Princeton Botanical Art Garden (Gazebo Docks With Mother Ship), and a listing of the Friends of Herrontown Woods' accomplishments this past year.

Some recent additions to the botanical art garden include a birdhouse painted with the four seasons, donated by artist Lisa Phox, 

and a mushroom garden and pinecone forest created by Andrew and Rachelle. The moss comes from a particularly productive roof.

Regular workdays are from 10 to noon on Sunday mornings, for anyone who wants to come by the main parking lot off of Snowden Lane.