Canada Geese, Robins, Song Sparrows, Red Winged Blackbirds…a cacophony of sounds has just begun anew here at NorthWoods Stewardship Center. You can almost feel the seeds stirring in the soil, and you can definitely taste the sap flowing from our maple trees. (We drink pitchers full of it during staff meetings.) There’s a race among staff to find the first magenta-blossoming Beaked Hazelnut bud, and I’ve heard plans being hatched for whitewater paddling trips. Every day it feels like spring is offering a new spark of life for us to enjoy.
Incredibly, only a few weeks ago we were strapping on snowshoes to plow through the many feet of powdery snow. I am thinking specifically about the two-day Winter Mushrooming event offered in March, presented by mycologist Larry Millman. NorthWoods Stewardship Center does a stellar job of offering workshops that improve one’s abilities as a naturalist, and this was no exception.
The group gathered on the cold, snowy day with our hand lenses ready. There is a surprising level of mushroom diversity to check out even in the winter—that is, if you can heft dead logs to inspect them. We could not; the snow was still thigh-high. Even limited to shelf mushrooms and crust funguses growing on standing dead wood, there was so much to learn!
Mushroom species that I’d previously lumped into a generic “turkey tails” category have been refined, and on future mushroom walks I will be on the lookout for the Mossy Maze Polypore (Cerrena unicolor) and Purple Toothed Polypore (Trichaptum biforme). The differences become apparent when the mushrooms are flipped over and the pore surface is inspected closely. Each species has its own distinct characteristics. For instance, the Yellow Turkey Tail (Trametes ochraces) had tiny round pores, while the Purple Toothed had slightly elongated pores.
We also explored Birch Polypores (Piptoporus betulinus), False Tinder Polypores (Phellinus igniarius), True Tinder Polypores, (Fomes fomentarius), Black Knot Fungus (Apiosporina morbosa), Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) and many more species on our trip. Our appreciation for the fungus kingdom and its ecological role increased with each new specimen, as did our curiosity about other fungi. We left the workshop motivated to seek out more opportunities to deepen our understanding of the environment.
As a NorthWoods employee, I know this is just one more positive step in our mission to “Empower new generations to appreciate, understand and wisely use the land through science, education and action.”
Mushrooms aren’t necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of spring. Personally, I am usually much more focused on hearing Spring Peepers, finding bear tracks, and seeing Coltsfoot blooming. This year, however, I will pay more attention, and I’d like to thank Larry Millman and NorthWoods for inspiring me to do so.
by Anika Klem
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- Purple-toothed polypore
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- Purple Toothed Polypore
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- Check out the maze like structure beneath this Mossy Maze polypore.
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- Tiny mushroom that prefers to grow on the pitch of fir trees.
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- Liverwort
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- A shelf mushroom that adapted to the climate by covering its fruiting body in a fuzz to insulate it from the cold.
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- Lawrence Millman and students
