I am sorry if you missed it, because the Woodland Walk for Mushrooms, hosted by the Marion Natural History Museum, took place on Saturday, September 13. The museum invited the public to Shoolman Preserve in Rochester, jointly administered by both Rochester Land Trust and Mattapoisett Land Trust, to hike through the woods and check out the amazing world of fungi. Host of the walk was Adam Korejwa, graduate from UMass Dartmouth and Oregon State University.
During covid, Korejwa said he became further infatuated with mushrooms and fungi, and hosts events like this one around Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Around 40 people registered to come join the fungi-aficionado, coming from all over the region, not just the Tri-Town. Members of the Boston Mycological Club also made an appearance, ingratiating the public and their mycologist peers with their expertise. As there are so many types of fungi (making up about five times the biomass as all animals), there isn’t a one-size-fits-all for mushrooms. Everyone has their favorites, and many specialize their craft, focusing on a few of the millions of species. Adam explained at the beginning of the walk that there are “millions of undiscovered species of fungi and mushrooms. There is still so much we don’t know!” He joked, “we may discover some on this walk!”
Korejwa also mentioned that Rochester, and southern New England as a whole, has been experiencing a “significant drought” and “we may not find much.” Luckily, those predictions were incorrect!
On the roughly 1-mile hike, the party uncovered countless different varieties. Adam encouraged careful examination and collection of the different species. Pick up, look at all around, smell, but maybe don’t taste unless you’re totally sure. Russula, bolete, mycena, various honey, some oysters, and collybia were all spotted frequently, among many others. Adam and the other mycologists explained that mushrooms are just the reproductive organ, and the real organism is the mycelium branching out beneath either into the earth or wet log.
Luckily a few times on the hike, some of the group spotted some rare ghost pipe mushrooms, or monotropa uniflora. Though it is generally rare, a few different batches were discovered.
Just before the hike ended back at the parking lot on New Bedford Road, and illusive (and apparently good tasting) Sparassis or “cauliflower mushroom” was spotted just under a tree off the path. What a find!
Even in drought conditions and on a heavily walked trails, mycelium flourishes and mushrooms sprout seemingly all over. Though there is heavy human impact, they did not seem to mind Saturday afternoon. Though they are many in numbers, as Adam Korejwa said, “we still have a lot to learn.”
Woodland Walk for Mushrooms
By Sam Bishop