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WILDWOOD, Mo.—A lot of people would love to hunt mushrooms. While the spring morel often comes to mind when thinking about mushroom hunting, it’s the fall which provides a more impressive diversity of mycological treasures.
Autumn is an excellent time to go mushroom hunting too, and the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is offering a special program that might help mushroomers out. MDC naturalists will conduct a Mycological Foray: Common Fall Fungi Friday, Oct. 29 from 4:30-6 p.m. at Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood. The program is free and open to all ages.
MDC naturalists will lead a hike through the woods of Rockwoods Reservation to look for mushrooms commonly found in autumn. “We’ll help participants learn characteristics of mushrooms that are key to identifying which mushrooms are which,” said MDC Naturalist Rena Schmidt. “The focus will be on both edible and inedible mushrooms that are common in the fall.” She also stressed that mushroom hunters should always be certain of a mushroom’s identity before attempting to eat it.
Though the program is mostly focused on identification, Schmidt added that it will cover some basic biology of mushrooms and fungi too.
Participants will be hiking two miles on moderately challenging terrain. Attendees should dress appropriately for the weather and wear suitable footwear for hiking.
Those who attend will also receive the MDC publication based on the popular Missouri's Wild Mushrooms book which they can take home for reference.
The Mycological Foray: Common Fall Fungi is a free program; however, advanced online registration is required at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZFs.
Rockwoods Reservation is located at 2751 Glencoe Road, off Highway 109 between I-44 and Highway 100.
As this is an in-person activity, MDC asks all participants to observe current local social distancing and masking guidelines. Bringing and wearing face coverings is encouraged when appropriate.
Program registrants should note that families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own which will streamline the program registration process. Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each person. This allows parents to register an entire family or select family members to an event at the same time.
Stay informed of MDC latest programs by going to the MDC St. Louis regional events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.
