February, 2024
Two months of rain have done the trick again! Mushrooms are pushing up through the
duff of the forest, bursting out through the bark of rotting wood and peppering some of
our darkest corners with dazzling colors!
Mushrooms have always fascinated people...for folklore, science, and pizza toppings.
Needless to say, some are beautiful to behold but dangerous to eat. Exotic molecules
in some mushrooms have novel effects on human organ systems, sometimes curious,
often unpleasant, and sometimes lethal.
Modern science has illuminated some intriguing facts about the complex
interdependency of fungi with trees and other plants, and much of that “action” is hidden
beneath the forest floor. The short-lived mushroom we see is just the tip of the
biological iceberg.
One thing is certain: They are magical to the eye, as the photos below can attest.
The Forest of Nisene Marks proudly displays one of California’s most diverse
populations of fruiting fungi on public land, and this is a chance to don your windbreaker
and come see them “live.” Even with a short hike, it’s possible to catalog a dozen or
more varieties.
There’s a catch, though. State Park regulations forbid “collecting,” meaning no
gathering of plants, animals, minerals...and fungi...in the parks. Please Look but
Leave these remarkable living things in peace as you found them in their native
habitat.
Wells Shoemaker MD
Board Member, Advocates for Nisene Marks
February, 2-24
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