Foray Reports

Late winter/Spring 2024 has been very dry, relatively for us. And there was that sudden freeze in January which froze the ground and put a stop to mushroom fruiting, which up until then it had been a very good season for Yellowfeet aka winter chanterelles. No forays were scheduled due to lack of mushrooms.

May 2024

The club did not host an eastside weekend morel foray this year for a variety of reasons. Morels have been sparse for the past two or three years for our forays, since we have to reserve the only facility in the area a year ahead of time, and it's not cheap. But, we were able to put on a last-minute day trip for morels. Those of you who made it to the foray saw that we had a lot of no-shows which concerned me. Turns out they were stuck in a horrendous backup on I-90 behind an accident and could not get there in time, not even close. We're sorry you drove all that way and missed us! There's just no cell reception of any kind on most of our foray locations so we had no idea what was going on on the interstate. Generally our forays do not involve navigating Seattle traffic so this is not a typical concern. This one had us crossing Snoqualmie Pass on a holiday weekend - always chancy. Some people chose to camp the night before, or to arrive super early. These were fortunate decisions.

As it was we had a nice day with some morels, and a few other fungal species, though not a lot. A couple kinds of false morels, a Pink Crown Cup, and a couple kinds of coral fungi. Everyone found some morels though they were few and far between - typical for naturals.

Our next club events will be the summer potluck in August and the Wynoochee camping foray at the end of September.

April 2024

We were extremely fortunate (??) to have had a wildfire the previous summer in the Shelton area - no fatalities or homes burned - that produced burn morels, allowing the club to host 2 forays for burn morels within a 45 minute drive of Olympia! and super convenient for our Mason County members. Thank You Gene Turner, our newest Order of the Mushroom member, for leading these forays. This was many people's first morel foray and nearly everyone found some.

November 2023

We were lucky enough to have 2 different all-club forays in November, and chanterelles and lobsters were found on both.

The Veterans Day weekend foray started out dry but then turned to rain – well it is November in the Olympics. Twenty-six people turned out, including new in-training foray leaders, and we split up into groups to see what we could find. Russulas of many species, Admirable boletes, Pine Spikes and various Laccaria were all common. Someone even found some very faded Pig’s Ears.

The next weekend the weather could not have been more different! Dry without being cold, no concerns of flooding, so out we went, with rainbows in the sky. Thirty-eight people made the trek for this one. Our new Membership Coordinator had spent the previous night camping in the area and brought in lots of different shrooms to show people. Lots of edibles were found on this one including some very choice ones that are not usually found on our forays. Common finds were some huge Brown Elfin saddles (Gyromitra infula) as well as the more common Black Elfin saddles (Helvella vespertina); Amethyst Laccaria; Purple Corts; Sulfur tufts; and all kinds of Ramarias and Russulas. Some of our finds got brought in to the next meeting for people to admire.

The weekend after that – freezing temperatures. So that may be the end of the chanterelles and lobsters (or not) but it should be just the beginning of the yellowfoots. Some mushrooms like the colder temperatures.

October 2023

The Wynoochee Camping Foray was kind of a bust. It was basically my worst-case scenario – no rain, until the day of the foray. So, few mushrooms up because it had been too dry, then absolutely pouring rain the day of the foray. Most people left early and the potluck was cancelled. But, we got 30 different species and we made good use of the club’s rain canopies! And the firewood donated by Steve Ness. But it took me a week to get all the gear dry afterwards.

We kicked off the real mushroom season in early October with a large group in a park near Olympia. Roughly 40 people of all ages turned out to meander down the trails through the park. While we didn’t compose a species list we did find a whole lotta different species on our meander. We did have trouble with yellowjacket nests though, which is not typical for our forays – usually all the stinging wasps are gone by the time we’re out hunting for mushrooms.

Next up was the annual Coastal Forests foray in mid October with a small group of enthusiasts. Another very successful outing with good harvests of edibles and 23 species identified, ranging from the little purple Phellodons to ginormous gaudy Fly Agarics. False chanterelles were everywhere so people got to learn that one. Some of our finds got brought in to the next meeting for people to admire.

Late October brought another small group foray with a new foray leader in a new site for the club and we are very happy with how that worked out. We saw a number of species along with a few edibles. And the next week, he led another small group into the Olympics, where participants were drilled in how easy it is to get lost in the forest while mushroom hunting. Don't be that person!

Coastal Forest October 15th, 2023

The weather was as good as could be expected – mild temperatures, no wind, only scattered light showers for rain. Twenty three people turned out for our Coastal Forest foray led by Corinne Srsen, with many newcomers and first-timers and a few familiar faces. Mushrooms were plentiful – fly agarics, false chanterelles, phellodons, various Suillus and Russulas – and king boletes, nice ones. We had a nice spread of interesting mushrooms at the end and while I have not been able to identify everything, we have this list of 23 species, with help from Rose Tursi and Eric Chandler. A few random passersby stopped to admire our collection too, and ask about mushrooms and the club. A lot of people learned to distinguish false from true chanterelles! the park was full of the false ones.

Species List

Amanita muscaria Fly agaric

Boletus edulis King bolete, Porcini

Cantharellus formosus Chanterelle

Chroogomphus ochraceus Olive Pine spike

Cortinarius spp.

Fomitopsis ochracea Ochre Polypore

Gymnopilus junonius Jumbo Gym

Hydnellum concrescens Zoned Tooth fungus

Hypholoma fasciculare Sulfur Tuft

Hyprophoropsis aurantiaca False chanterelle

Laccaria amethysteo-occidentalis Amethyst Laccaria

Lactarius deliciosus Milk Cap

Leccinum sp. Scaber Stalk

Phellodon melaleucus Purple & Gray Tooth fungus

Postia ptychogaster Powder Puff Polypore

Russula brevipes Short stalked Russula

Russula xerampelina and others Shrimp Russulas

Sarcodon scabrosus Bitter Tooth fungus

Scleroderma bovista Potato Earthball

Suillus brevipes Short stalked Suillus

Suillus tomentosus Cracked-cap Suillus

Tricholoma aurantium Orange Trich

Tricholoma imbricatum Matt Knight

Wynoochee Foray Sept 22-24, 2023

Foray Coordinator - Regina Johnson

25 people braved a serious downpour to hunt for whatever mushrooms we could find around Wynoochee Lake. It had been another dry summer, second in a row, and this was the first significant rain – too late to pop anything for the foray. But the season looks so much more promising now! We put the 2 club-owned rain canopies to good use. It rained so hard, small alder trees were knocked over, and rain gear was useless. Most people did find some lobsters and Chicken of the Woods was common too, but those were pretty much the only edibles found. We did as a group bring back 30 different species though so that’s pretty good – more than one species per person. And someone did find a couple of baby chanterelles for the newbies to compare to the numerous False Chanterelles brought back. Black-footed Polypores and Stalked Puffballs were numerous too. Due to how wet everyone and all their gear was, the potluck was cancelled. But it does look like there will be mushrooms this year!

Stay Tuned for More Forays.

Wynoochee Foray Sept 23-25, 2022

Foray Coordinator - Regina Johnson

The weather was absolutely perfect for camping, so you can guess that it was poor for mushroom hunting. Perfectly clear, daytime temperatures in the 70s, no wind. Despite rain over Labor Day weekend, the brush and moss and ground were all perfectly dry and the roads quite dusty. It was very pleasant for wandering around looking for mushrooms, just hardly anything to find. About a dozen people attended the potluck Saturday night, and a different dozen or so were in and out on Friday evening. Most people came just for the day on Saturday. Google still messed people up so they arrived late; one woman missed us completely. Coho campground filled Friday night, so some people camped at Satsop Center, which did not fill, and one woman stayed in the motel in Montesano. Satsop Center no longer has the bunk house people used in the past. I think a couple of people doubled up on campsites. There was space for one tent in the club’s campsite, #56, which was offered but no one used it. I wasn’t sure how many people would be milling around on Saturday but it turned out there was plenty of room for someone to camp. The campsite was much easier to get in and out of than the group site we used in the past! And it wasn’t a nuisance to be next to the restrooms where it would have been really annoying for a camper. With only 23 species and few specimens, the ID table did not even fill up the one picnic table. But people had a good time, and one new member commented that he learned more from us in 2 days than he had in years mushrooming in his previous hometown, where there is no club.

Tons of COW, some Bitter Boletes, a handful each of lobsters and Tapinellas, the usual conks. Lots of Picipes. Notable by their absence: chanterelles, dyer’s polypore, cauliflowers, wooly chanterelles.

Species list

Bird’s nest
Caloboletus conifericola probably the most common terrestrial mushroom
Chroogomphus tomentosus
Fomitopsis mounceae
Fomitopsis ochracea
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma oregonense
Gomphus clavatus one really sad dehydrated specimen
Hypomyces lactifluorum Some, not everywhere though
Janoporus hirtus One
Laetiporus conifericola absolutely banner year
Lycoperdon perlatum
Paxillus involutus
Picipes badius Lots
Pluteus sp.
Pycnoporellus alboluteus
Pycnoporellus fulgens
Russula fragrantissima a handful
Russula olivacea
Tapinella atrotomentosa a handful
Trametes versicolor old
Trichaptum abietinum old
Veluticeps fimbriata

11/13/2021 Wynoochee Lake

Foray Coordinator - Regina Johnson

Six people assembled at the picnic area at Wynoochee Lake in a break between Pineapple Expresses on Saturday Nov 13. The weather behaved as forecast, with no rain all morning, and warm temperatures. The area was quiet, few people wanting to trust the forecast. But, the mushrooms all seem to be taking the year off after a brutal summer. Despite what must have been a couple of feet of rain since the drought broke in October, few mushrooms were evident. Lots of Admirable Boletes and even a couple of Zeller’s were the most common, along with Black-footed Polypores and what are most likely Sulfur Tufts, and lots of things too rain-worn to identify. Notable by their absence were the expected edibles: chanterelles, lobsters, hedgehogs. One rain-worn Sparassis was found, a handful of worn chanterelles, debris from numerous chicken of the woods, and a stump from a harvested lobster, were all that was found in the way of edibles. Notable was a clump of giant bird’s-nest fungus, Cyathus olla, a first for everyone in the group. A reasonably fresh Western Grisette and a very worn Wooly Chanterelle were educational. One very waterlogged Bondarzewia occidentalis, from the FunDIS Rare 10 challenge, was found but not collected as it was too far gone to make a decent specimen. The Rare 10 Challenge determined that this species is not rare after all, just seriously undercollected, so that was useful information to get from community science.

Species list

Amanita pachycolea
Aureoboletus mirabilis
Bondarzewia occidentalis
Cantharellus formosus
Cyathus olla giant birds nest
Dacrymyces chrysospermus
Fomitopsis mounceae and ochracea
Ganoderma oregonense
Heterobasidion occidentale
Hypholoma fasciculare
Laetiporus conifericola
Picipes badius
Russula brevipes
Russula spp.
Sparassis radicata
Stropharia ambigua
Trichaptum abietinum
Turbinella sp.
Various lavender Cortinarius
Xerocomellus zelleri

And lots of stuff too rain-worn to identify.

11/13/2021 Pack Forest, Ashford, WA

Foray Coordinators - Rose Tursi, Rachel Friedman

On November 13 approximately 15 folks joined Rose Tursi and Rachel Friedman (with support from Eric and Jen Chandler) for a foray at Pack Forest near Ashford WA. The weather for the morning was blessedly dry. While no chanterelles or other edibles were found, the group was active in finding a large variety of fungi. We had attendees from the Olympia area, Gig Harbor and even San Francisco. We had one family with a 3 1/2 year old who stole the show with his love and knowledge of fungi. There were rank beginners and others who knew a bit about mushroom identification. Everyone seemed to have a great time and were very appreciative. Rose did a great job identifying fungi and telling great stories and providing useful information.

Species list

Armillaria sp
Auriscalpium vulgare
Calocera cornea
Chlorophyllum olivieri
Chrysomphalina aurantiaca (??)
Clitocybe (Ampulloclitocybe) clavipes
Clitocybe sp
Collybia cirrhata
Coprinellus micaceus
Cortinarius obtusus(??)
Crepidotus crocophyllus
Crepidotus epibryus
Dacrymyces chrysospermus
Entoloma nitidum
Gomphidius oregonensis
Helvella vespertina
Hypholoma fasciculare
Inocybe geophylla group
Inocybe lilacina
Lactarius luculentus
Marasmiellus candidus
Mycena sp -several
Nidula candida
Phaeolus schweinitzii
Polyporus badius(or whatever it's called now)
Pseudohydnum gelatinosum
Ramaria acrisiccescens
Russula sp (brown)
Russula sp (dark red)
Strobilurus trullisatus
Stropharia ambigua
Suillus caerulescens
Xerocomellus sp
Xeromphalina campanella
Xylaria hypoxylon

10/17/2021 Cowlitz Divide Trail, Mt Rainier National Park, Lewis County

Foray Coordinator - Eric Chandler

Originally there were supposed to be 18-20 people attending, but when the date & location changed, only Alex & Kim decided to go. The initial date, 10 OCT 2021, was changed due to expected high-winds on that day, and the original foray location, Ranger Creek Campground, was changed after a scouting foray on 12 OCT found very-few fungal specimens available.

The alternative location was chosen because Jason Chandler had been to the Cowlitz Divide Trail the previous weekend and had indicated many fungal species were present, including edibles.

The trail is an uphill walk the entire distance travelled, but did not become steep until we had travelled about a mile. The ecology is temperate forest with many old-growth conifers, vine maples, blue-berry & red huckleberry bushes, thick moss, downed trees in various states of decomposition, and considerable tree-branch litter. Two streams run through the area: Fall Creek (dry) and an un-named creek that has a large log as a bridge. That creek had running water in it. Both creeks eventually feed into the Ohanapecosh River.

We found many fungal specimens close to the trail. Even so, all four of us spent considerable time exploring the woods off trail.

The most-prolific species in this area were Ramaria of various kinds which the Hong’s gathered for future meals. A large Hydnum repandum was found by Kim, along with a few Cantharellus californicus, as well as a Pluteus cervinus. Another prolific species was Turbinellus floccosus.

Interesting Specimens found:

Armallaria oystoyae

Cortinarius amillatus

Connopus acervatus

We also saw, but did not gather other Armallaria, Cortinarius, Tricholoma, a Tapinella atrotomentosa, and some very-small Clavaria falcata, Fairy Clubs.

It was a good trip considering the dearth of fungi in other areas. I do believe that if we had waited another week or so there would have been even more specimens at this location because the ecology appeared to be able to support a prolific variety and numbers of fungi.

The only disadvantage of this location is the need to have a National Park Pass in order to get to it….$30. I believe this was a prime reason for so many people to drop off the list.

10/16/2021 Coastal Boletes

Foray Coordinator - Regina Johnson

16 adults registered for this foray, along with 4 kids and 3 dogs. Being in a state park the dogs had to stay on leash. The weather was perfect for mushroom hunting, despite a rather fierce forecast of rain and wind. The beach itself was very windy but in the trees where we were? perfectly calm, and no rain. Everyone found boletes and learned how to distinguish the true king bolete from all the different Suillus present. The boletes were not numerous but they were big, and in good condition, and there were enough for everyone to feel good about what they found. Two of the (small) kids found boletes as big as their heads.

Species List

Amanita muscaria, the fly agaric
Aureoboletus mirabilis, Admirable bolete
Boletus edulis, King bolete
Butyriboletus sp. bitter boletes
Cantharellus formosus, golden chanterelle
Chroogomphus spp., pine spikes
Clitopilus prunulus, the little funny-shaped white ones
Hydnellum subsuccosum, a toothed fungus
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca group, one of a complex of false chanterelle species
Lactarius deliciosus, milk cap
Phellodon melaleucus, another tooth fungus
Porodaedalea gilbertsonii, the red ring rot conk
Postia ptychogaster, powder puff polypore
Russula brevipes, short stemmed russula
Russula emetica, the red cap/white stem russula
Russula spp. other various russulas
Russula xerampelina, shrimp russula
Scleroderma sp., the large puffball aka earthball
Suillus brevipes, short stemmed slippery jack, with the dark brown cap
Suillus pseudobrevipes, not so dark as above
Suillus tomentosus, the common yellow slippery jack

10/9/2021 Brown Creek Foray Report

Foray Coordinator - Regina Johnson

Saturday Oct 9 at Brown Creek in the Olympic National Forest saw 9 adults, 4 children and 2 dogs meet to hunt for chanterelles. The day was misty and cool but not actually raining, not windy, not cold, just perfect for mushroom hunting. Unfortunately the mushrooms weren't interested in participating just yet. We went up the road to one of our usual areas, but it has been heavily thinned this past summer and there were no mushrooms of any kind. It was, however, much easier to see people and keep track of the group. After a bit of that we got tired of it and moved to a completely different spot across the river and a little bit higher elevation. Here there were a few mushrooms, but still no chanterelles. By lunch time adults were getting tired and children cranky, so everyone went home. We did find a few shrimp russulas, a couple of waterlogged wooly chanterelles, a red-tipped ramaria and an old varnished conk. Reports for the same day from a separate group that went to the trailhead area were the same - lots of people looking, but no mushrooms. Lauren and Luca came late and found some interesting mushrooms along the beaver pond trail, but this is not chanterelle habitat. Still it was a fine day to be in the woods, and good company, and the children and dogs had a good time.

9/25/2021 Wynoochee Foray Report

Foray Coordinator - Regina Johnson

Chief Mycologist - Lauren Re

38 people attended, 3 of them new members that signed up that morning, and at least one who had signed up at the in-person meeting on Tuesday. Two were little boys who found a lot of mushrooms (but no chanterelles). Steve Ferguson managed to provide sample chanterelles, false chanterelles, and a lobster for attendees to look at before setting out. Most people were fairly self-sufficient but it was good they got to look at the samples first.

Weather was perfect, warm enough and sunny. The brush was not wet, which is not a good thing for mushroom hunting. There were few mushrooms out. One group did find a cluster of lobsters and chanterelles but most people only found one or two, or none. Steve Ness led a FunDIS group and came back happy. Jack Johnson made a species list. Despite the lack of mushrooms of any kind, everyone seemed happy with a day in the woods in what might be the last nice dry warm day of the year. Wynoochee will probably have good pickings in a couple of weeks.

Species List

Fungi

Amanita muscaria
Armillaria oystoyae
Atheniella aurantiidisca
Aureoboletus mirabilis
Boletus edulis
Caloboletus conifericola
Cantharellus roseocanus
Chalciporus piperatoides
Chalciporus piperatus
Chondrostereum pupureum
Chroogomphus tomentosus
Clavaria flavipes
Clitocybe "Grey Group"
Coltricia perennis
Cortinarius purpurescens group
Craterellus tubaeformis
Dacrymyces sp.
Deconica montana
Fomitopsis mounceae
Fomitopsis ochracea
Ganoderma applanatum
Ganoderma oregonense
Gomphidius smithii
Hemimycena sp.
Heterobasidion occidentale
Hydnellum aurantiaca group
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca group
Hypholoma fasciculare
Hypomyces lactifluorum
Inocybe spp.
Laccaria laccata
Lactarius deliciosus group
Lactarius olympianus
Lactarius sp.
Laetiporus conifericola
Leptonia serrulata group
Mycena strobilinoides
Nidula candida
Nolanea spp.
Phaeolus schweintzii
Pholiota flammans
Pholiota limonella
Pleurocybella porrigens
Ramaria acrisiccescens
Ramaria cystidiophora var. citronella
Ramaria spp.
Ramaria stuntzii
Roridomyces roridus
Russula spp.
Russula urens
Sarcodon imbricatus
Strobilurus truillsatus
Tapinella atrotomentosa
Turbinellus floccosus
Turbinellus kaufmanii
Xerocomellus chrysenteron
Pholiota malicola group.
Lachnelulla sp.

Notable (or noted) Lichens

Cladonia pyxidata group
Lobaria oregana
Pilophorus clavatus
Peltigera apthosa

Myxomycetes (Slime Molds)

Trichia decipiens
Lycogala epidendrum
Pholiota malicola group.
Lachnelulla sp.

Google Sites

Report abuse