People on trail during summer at Habitat
Habitat Education Center, Belmont

A (Mushroom) Walk in the Woods at Habitat

November 20, 2024

It’s been an unusually dry fall here in Massachusetts, and our local mushrooms are feeling it. When conditions are right, usually after rain, mushrooms pop up in a matter of days to release their spores and reproduce. Without the wet, humid weather they love so much, large flashy mushrooms are hard—but not impossible—to spot. But that doesn’t mean it's quiet in the world of fungi—if you look closely, there’s still so much to see.

False Turkey Tail (Stereum ostrea) mushrooms growing on a log

Mycological Miracles

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of the mycelium organism, like an apple is to a tree. They come in all shapes, sizes, colors and textures, and boast incredible diversity—an estimated 5 million species of fungi exist, of which only a tiny percentage have been identified.

There are many creative strategies that mushrooms have developed to help them survive dry conditions. For instance, many species of jelly fungi (Exidia spp.) shrivel up when dry to conserve energy, then re-hydrate in water. Species that get their nutrients by breaking down decaying organic matter, known as saprobes, can extract water from the plant hosts they feed on. Some fungi also deal with drought by stress priming, a process by which exposure to mild drought helps them survive better during future, more extreme dry spells.

Even if there are no signs above ground, mycelia stay busy and active below ground. Unlike their parasitic relatives, mycorrhizal fungi work cooperatively with other plants and can even help trees survive drought by extracting moisture from the soil and delivering it straight to their roots.

Mycologist Jef taylor leading the mushroom field walk

Into the Woods

This October, mycologist Jef Taylor led an eager group on a field walk through Mass Audubon’s Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary. Armed with a hand lens and his sixth sense, he stopped to turn over promising logs and pointed out fungi so miniscule you could easily miss them. Highlights included False Turkey tail (Stereum ostrea), Woodwarts (Hypoxylon spp.), and various bonnet mushrooms (Mycena spp). Other atypical fungi included plant pathogens like Biscogniauxia marginata.

He taught attendees how to tell apart different spore surfaces and identify which trees various mushrooms like best. Everyone from the mushroom-curious to seasoned foragers learned something new, and by the end of the walk, participants were finding specimens left and right.

Join the Adventure

Once you know where to look, the complexity of the natural world can become just as familiar as your own backyard. Walks like these are a great way to not only enjoy the beauty of nature, but also to appreciate the importance of biodiversity. Mass Audubon and partner naturalists can serve as guides in your journey, no matter your experience level.