Mushroom Foray

Hot cider once again welcomed the 60 participants to the Otto Resource Center for this year’s annual Mushroom Foray. With rain in the forecast but hardly enough to discourage a woodsy trek, the dry summer- autumn leading up to the foray added a bit of concern whether or not our specimen hunt would bear its many fruits of the ground as years past.

Lo and behold, our concerns were unfounded as the specimen baskets came in full from each of our four preserves. To the delight and surprise of both leaders and foragers, and perhaps due to expertise or simply diligence, a bounty of exceptional fungi to be identified filled our tables. From the rainbow chanterelle Cantharellus roseocanus , to old man’s beard Stobilomyces floccopus, Shaggy Parasol Chlorophyllum rhacodes and many others, the species list was long and diverse, suggesting a healthy eco-system all around.

Dr. Fred Rhoades, a well-known mycologist along with his expert team, were enthusiastic, sharing knowledge both for the novice and veteran, together bonding over curiosity and celebration of our forest floor and its fungal network. A list of our finds will be added here soon!

A treasure of specimens from the Otto Preserve.

Once a year LIHT collects and identifies fungal specimens. We do not allow foraging in the preserves.