Published in the Alabama Mushroom Society Special Edition Winter Newsletter - December 2023, which you can find HERE.
It is around two weeks away from the darkest day of the year, and many of us have felt our own inner spark diminishing alongside the light of the sun. The unofficial mushroom season ended weeks ago, and it is easy to feel like the recent drought in Alabama has deprived us of so many opportunities for mushrooming in the woods.
Summer wraps us in her warm embrace year after year, and it feels as though she always has her own special remedy for anything that may burden or distress us. Once Fall has passed and Winter has arrived, we canโt help but be left with a yearning for Summer's gifts: the aroma of sun-kissed pine needles and beech leaves mingling with chanterelles.
Cantharellus sp. growing below beech, Etowah County, Alabama. Late summer 2023.
The flavor of ripe blackberries and warm muscadines on our parched tongues. An almost endless orchestra of wildlife filling the balmy air. The slippery sensation of mud between our toes. Cool raindrops on our hot cheeks.
Summer captivates us and restores us, and when her light leaves it can feel as though she has abandoned us. Our hearts ache for her abundance and her spiritual renewal, and sometimes our own memories of her do not feel like enough to power us through the darker months. Millions of people in the US wrestle with Seasonal Affective Order (SAD) every year, so it isnโt inconceivable that many a mycophile experience a general worsening of their mental and physical health during during the this time of year.
The gloom and gray and cold (and decrease in mushroom activity) oftentimes influence our daily emotional states, and we can pretty easily find ourselves overtaken by a sort of seasonal inertiaโrecoiling from the bitterness of the outdoors and unintentionally furthering our disconnection from Nature herself. Some of us may find ourselves seeking out warmth in other places--gravitating towards twinkling Christmas lights, comforting foods, and warm libationsโcompletely oblivious to the many gifts that may lie waiting to be discovered in our own back yards or nearby woodlands.
Many mushroom enthusiasts have a predilection for species that are either eye-catching or have some culinary appealโwhile only a limited amount of fungiphiles devote themselves to the pursuit or study of the more obscure (and often underappreciated) fungi. No matter which type of fungal adventurer we may be, Winter can provide each and every one of us with a multitude of exciting experiences and opportunities for learning.
The Stinking Oyster (Phyllotopsis nidulans) grows in clusters on rotting wood, its peak seasonality in the US spanning October through February.
Juniper Apple Rust (Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae)- this fungal gall can sometimes be found on Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) during the winter season.
At first glance, our natural areas may appear devoid of any fungi in wintertimeโwhich may make us less inclined to explore them any further. Most of the foliage has died back, and our forest floors are covered by a blanket of brown leaves and pine needles that crunch under our feet. It may feel bleak and disheartening, but this barren setting also means that there are far less things to distract us: less poison ivy to avoid, less ticks and chiggers and mosquitoes seeking out blood meals, and less sweat trickling down our backs. If we take advantage of the clarity that this season affords us and begin exploring, we will find that there is an expansive world of fungi below our feet and at our fingertips!
While several species of fungi do go dormant with the onset of wintry weather, there are many that thrive in the cooler (and often wetter) conditions we experience here in Alabama. Several of these fungi are readily visible in our forests, while some less conspicuous species demand creativity in their detection (e.g. using hand lenses or magnifying glasses).
Fungi of all shapes, colors, textures, and sizes can be found in a variety of habitats here in Alabama: emerging from fallen twigs, decorating in-tact branches, hiding under leaf litter, erupting from mounds of moss, and forming shelves on tree scars. Inspecting a woodpile or flipping a log may reveal a dazzling array of crusts, polypores, and other exciting surprisesโall reminders that we are never truly alone despite the perceived gloom and cheerlessness of this season.
The Humpback (Cantharellula umbonata) growing on a mossy stone outcrop
Trichaptum sp. on a rotting pine log
Furthermore, our sometimes wildly shifting weather patterns here in Alabama allow for intermittent flushes of fungi that we wouldnโt typically expect during the cold season. Our mini-heat waves and extreme rain events often serve as an opportunity for some fungi to resurface and briefly flourish!
I will now share a (visual) glimpse of just some of the fungi that can be found in Alabama (and nearby states) during the winter season!
Hygrophorus erubescens gracilis growing under pine
Mycoacia fuscoatra on highly rotted wood
Lionโs Mane Fungus (Hericium erinaceus) on oak tree
Complex Hygrocybe flavescens growing in a flood plain below hardwoods.
Arthrophaga myriapodina-parasitizing a millipede.
Peach-Colored Fly Agaric (Amanita persicina) growing beneath pines after a winter heat wave.
Grey Waxcaps (Cuphophyllus lacmus) growing in leaf litter under mostly pine.
Rosy Conk (Rhodofomes cajanderi) growing on a fallen pine tree
Coral-Pink Merulius (Phlebia incarnata) growing on hardwood alongside Stereum sp.