Highlights

OCTOBER 2023 - Mushroom Walk, No Foliage Walk , Bike Ride

Activity Alert - Third time's a charm!

Third attempt and no rain Saturday and so although the sky was gray and foreboding, our yearly search for the fungus among us finally took place and we were successful in finding some local mushrooms out and about spreading their spores.

Here are a few photos by Roger of our hunt and quarry. Next walk will be a fall foliage walk a couple of weeks from now. Watch for it.

We had immediate luck bagging a very well camouflaged small hen of the woods, aka maitake (Grifola frondosa) growing from the base of that tree trunk, right side, behind that small white mushroom.

Alex found this large hen of the woods silently dropping spores while it was quietly sitting at the base of this oak in the forest.

A chicken mushroom (Laetiporus sulphureus). A popular mushroom with mycophagists. Mycophagist definition: a person who eats mushrooms.

Here is an attractive Pholiota we didn't identify as to species. We also found, but didn't fully identify some Russula, Lactarius, Marasmius, Tremella, Lycogala and Trametes fungi.

There were many honey mushrooms, aka brown or yellow oaks (Armillaria mellea) fruiting in the forest. They are a delicious mushroom but look like many other brown or yellow mushrooms. Be positively sure of your identification. Remember the saying, "There are old mushroom hunters and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old, bold mushroom hunters."

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ACTIVITY ALERT - WALKING IN BEAUTY

Acknowledging Autumn has arrived, once again, in our neck of the New England woods. Peak color will occur, depending on daily temperatures, rainfall, sun and wind, between October 15 and October 25.

We will meet at 9 a.m., October 21, Saturday. at the intersection of Tower Road and Yellow Hill Road, Fall River. Length of walk 5 miles. Water and snack always a good idea. Insect repellent suggested until the first frost.

Rain cancels walk.

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RAIN CANCELS WALK ...Again!

Due to the forecast of a very wet weekend, once again, the Fall Foliage Walk, for this Saturday morning, October 21, is cancelled. It seems rain has decided to fall on just about every Saturday this year. We don't want to be in wet and dripping forest, halfway through the five mile route, wet, cold and miserable.

A fall photo taken in the pouring rain on a past autumn walk. Note the beautiful red tupelo tree. The fall leaf color of this tupelo tree is at its peak, but better viewed on a dry and sunny autumn day. You can find out more about the tupelo tree here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupelo#Honey and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGkQ4mPiyoU

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Sunset/Moonlight Bike Ride

What a wonderful night for a bike ride! This was probably the last warm Sunset/Moonlight Ride of the season. The sunset was particularly beautiful viewed from Colt State Park. On our trip over to Independence Park, we encountered one of the largest herds of deer that we've seen this Fall. The moon came up nice and early (even BEFORE sunset!). Some of our riders accomplished 30 miles!

The next full moon will be November 27, called the Full Beaver moon. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for another moonlight ride.