It doesn’t get much better than leading a wild mushroom discussion & hike at North Park in conjunction with L.L. Bean!  For those who missed the event, here’s a quick recap:

During the first part of the program, we discussed mushroom hunting basics, followed by medicinal mushroom identification and harvesting (with a focus on chaga, reishi, turkey tail, maitake, and birch polypore).

We then explored the south ridge of the park in search of fresh fungal fruiting bodies.  Even though it has been fairly dry, we found quite a few mushrooms worth discussing!

Here’s a partial list of what we found on Saturday, September 5th 2015 at North Park in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania:

• Honey mushrooms (Armillaria sp.)
• Yellow-cracked bolete (Xerocomus subtomentosus)
• Common Psathyrella (Psathyrella candolleana)
• Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus sulphureus)
• Violet toothed polypore (Trichaptum biforme)
• False turkey tail (Stereum ostrea)
• Artist’s conk (Ganoderma applanatum)
• Reishi (Ganoderma sp.)
• Luminescent Panellus (Panellus stipticus)
• White fly agaric (Amanita muscaria var. alba)
• Mustard yellow polypore (Phellinus gilvus)

A big thanks to everyone who attended, and to L.L. Bean Pittsburgh for hosting the event!

We still have several weeks of prime mushroom hunting season ahead of us here in Pennsylvania… let’s make the most of it!