“This is a good time of the year for mushrooms – and for people who love to look for them.” Marjorie Rachlin, our late neighbor, nature writer and nature lover, wrote those words around this time three years ago. And she had a lot more to say about the wild, wonderful and sometimes strange world of mushrooms, “neither plants nor animals” but members of the fungi kingdom.
We share Marjorie’s fascination with mushrooms, and have noticed some incredible specimens on our Rock Creek Park walks over the past couple of rainy and steamy weeks. We’re not the only ones.
The mushrooms in the park are spectacular right now, and seemingly appeared overnight in some spots. Have you seen them? https://t.co/G7nyWPnc9H
— Forest Hills Connection (@foresthillsnews) July 18, 2023
Ruby bolete mushroom, this afternoon in Reservation 630 park. pic.twitter.com/lUmCyyHxT9
— Tom Hentoff (@TomHentoff) July 10, 2023
And this turkey tail mushroom, spotted just north of Rapids Bridge, is one of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen.
In the past eleven years of Forest Hills Connection (and mushroom obsession), we have amassed quite a collection of fungi-related photos. Here are a of our favorites.
Pat Patterson says
I caution readers not to consume wild mushrooms as they could be poisonous. I remember one case from many years ago in Chevy Chase when consuming backyard mushrooms resulted in a death.
FHC says
Thank you for this.