Mushrooms in the Forest...to be Seen in Nisene!

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