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.
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.
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.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
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.
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.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
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.
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.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
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.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.