beginning of the trails
Despite the fact that it's a little late to start learning the art of mushrooming, I headed out into the woods this weekend in search of chanterelles. Fog capped coastal ranges and intermittent rain showers added an element of Oregon autumn to the day! As much as I hate to see the leaves gone for the winter, I welcome the sight of bright lichens giving the deciduous their coats for the approaching winter.
Even if we (Casey and I) were capable of correctly identifying mushrooms, we still faced the challenge of even finding them in the first place. Mushroomers are territorial creatures and apparently often visit their hot spots because despite the fact that we were far from the trails, it was obvious that others had recently beaten us to the location (footprints, uprooted mushrooms, etc.).
Although, we didn't come back with a bountiful supply, I'm not too concerned. Realizing the risk of eating a mushroom spotted by an inexperienced eye, the first round of picked "chanterelles" are going to be brought in to be identified by someone with a little more fungi under their belt. ;-)
more trees
getting off the beaten path to look for some mushrooms
lichen
lichen
amongst the ferns
no shortage of these guys
