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2009 Humboldt Bay Mycological Society's 30th Annual Mushroom Fair at Redwood Acres - Slideshow 2007 Mushroom Project at College of the Redwoods - Slideshow Mushrooms are a types of fungus that have a stem (stipe), a cap (pileus) and gills (lamella). They also come in a wide variety of colors, sizes and textures and can be found all over right here in Humboldt County. Mushrooms can be used for medicinal and edible purposes, but some mushrooms are very poisonous and can even be deadly. That being the case, only gather mushrooms that you have properly identified. Be very aware of poisonous mushrooms in the area, and be careful not to confuse edible mushrooms with poisonous ones. Many different types of mushrooms look alike and accurate identification is crucial. There are many good guidebooks to mushroom hunting that have been published, and curious mushroom pickers can take their finds to the Annual Mushroom Fair to have their fungi identified by experts with the Mycological Society. Mushroom season usually begins with the first rain showers in fall. November and December are very good months to stroll through local forests and see what mushrooms have popped up. Be careful only to look on public lands though, because in Northern California a permit is required to pick mushrooms. I have found mushrooms all over the College of the Redwoods Campus (the mushroom pictured above grew in a gravel divider right in the middle of campus), in many different parts of the redwood forests and in the woods just off of the beaches in Trinidad. They love growing near trees and they can grow alone, in groups or even as in rings. Fairy Rings are naturally occurring arcs of mushrooms that can appear just about anywear. European folklore says that they appear when elves, fairies or pixies appear. The first picture of the 2010 Mushrooms slideshow is of a fairy ring for anyone who is curious. Happy mushroom hunting, enjoy the slideshows and be safe : ) -Marylynn Mushrooming? - North Coast Journal Useful Mycology Links and Information
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