A Very Good Year for Wild Mushrooms

A Very Good Year for Wild Mushrooms
The agaric mushroom (this particular one is an Eastern yellow fly agaric) looks like the classic illustration from a fairy tale. 
Photo by Pamm Cooper

We get monthly articles on gardening and nature from the University of Connecticut, and this month’s missive is about wild mushrooms, and was written by Pamm Cooper.

“This year was an excellent one environmentally for mushrooms,” she reports. “Many species have recently shown up on lawns, in gardens, in the woods and many other places.”

It’s so very tempting to want to hunt for them and eat them. It is a fun and delicious adventure — but potentially fatal or, at best, sickening and unpleasant.

Don’t just take my word for it; Cooper also warns that, “While many are edible, many mushrooms are not, and some are poisonous. It is not a good idea to eat any mushrooms if you are not able to identify them correctly. There are many look-alikes, so this is a job for an expert.”

From time to time, there are workshops with mushroom experts such as David Paton. He and other mycologists can safely steer you toward mushrooms you can eat. And of course many local farmstands and markets have wonderful mushrooms that you can buy.

But it’s always fun to be out in the woods, either purposefully seeking fungi or stumbling upon some interesting specimen nestled under some leaf debris.

Pamm Cooper has an idea: If you find an interesting mushroom and you feel strongly that you want to take it home and do something with it (as opposed to photographing it and posting the image on social media), try making a mushroom spore print. The short version of how to do this is to get a fresh mushroom, take off the stem, and put the cap, gill side down, on a sheet of paper. The spores will come out and make an image.   

Cooper recommends that you use the “Peterson Field Guide to Mushrooms” if you want to try and identify some of the mushrooms you find on your lawn or in the woods. But she offers a few descriptions of species you might find at this time of year.

Puffballs, for example, “appear in late summer and early fall. Most start off as white, gray or light brown and may be lumpy, round, smooth or slightly spiny. Most have no stalk. Often these are familiar to people who encounter the familiar Langermannia giganteum, which appear as white balls on their lawns.

“The gem-studded puffball Lycoperdon perlatum is white and has small warts and spines on the capsule that give it a gem- like appearance.

“The most recognizable mushroom in the world is the fly agaric. The red cap studded with white warts makes this mushroom easy to recognize.

“The Eastern yellow fly agaric has a bright yellow cap and white scales that may fall off with age. This agaric is usually found under pines, spruce, hemlocks, birch, oaks and poplars.

“Both of these agarics start off as a rounded cap studded with white that will eventually flatten out, reaching 6 or more inches across. Both are from the Amanita family and are poisonous.”

Have fun but remember: Even if you have a Peterson field guide, you should never eat anything unless an experienced mushroom hunter shares it with you. And some mushrooms might be toxic to the touch, so it might be a good idea to wear gloves if you handle a mushroom you’re not familiar with.

Latest News

Amenia board honors employees for service

Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.

Leila Hawken

AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.

“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.

Keep ReadingShow less
Historic marker dedicated at Amenia Union Cemetery

In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.

Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.

A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton Street Fair celebration June 28

Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.

Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.

Keep ReadingShow less
Millbrook Historical Society announces summer Quaker lecture series

The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.

Photo by Leila Hawken

MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.

For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.

Keep ReadingShow less