February Mushroom Hunting - Marveling at Mushroom Guttation & Fungal Forest Mysteries

Join me, wild mushroom hunting in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Whether you’re mushroom foraging in Washington state, Oregon, Northern California … or even far outside the PNW, across the pond in the UK or mainland Europe … there’s something in this video for you! February isn’t a typical month that we think to be mushroom foraging, but there’s always something out there!
In this episode, we encounter plenty of old friends (familiar mushrooms) and a couple mysteries too! Here’s a quick rundown of some of the things you’ll see:
00:00 Introduction
00:25 Dyer’s Polypore (Phaeolus schweinitzii)
02:18 Phycomyces blakesleeanus
05:21 Rosy Conk (Rhodofomes cajanderi)
08:00 Whoa! Bug stuck in guttation!
08:14 Toothed Jelly Fungus (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum)
09:15 Alpine Jelly Cone (Guepiniopsis alpina)
10:37 Plectania milleri? or Pseudoplectania nigrella?
16:49 Red Belted Conk (Fomitopsis mouncea
- formerly Fomitopsis pinicola)
18:08 Coniferous Witches’ Butter (Dacrymyces chrysospermus)
& weird mystery parasite?
19:33 Candy Cap Mushroom Update (Lactarius rubidus)
20:48 Western Artist’s Conk (Ganoderma brownii)
21:59 Violet Toothed Polypore (Trichaptum abietinum) on Conifer
-note, similar Trichaptum biforme grows on Hardwood
24:29 Incredible moss!
24:51 Coyote den?
25:11 West Coast Reishi (Ganoderma oregonense)
27:17 Bird’s Nest Fungus (Nidula candida)
33:08 Quick Turkey Tail (Trametes versicor) vs False Turkey Tail (Stereum hirsutum)
33:53 Conclusion
Whether mushroom foraging Washington state, Oregon, California or anywhere else in the PNW, this footage should closely align with lots of what you're seeing in your local forest.
The video footage here was filmed on February 2, 2024 in Western WA while out on a trail run. Even though we're super late into the mushroom season, there is still plenty to look at out there!
Thanks for watching - and happy trails!
#mushroom #mushroomhunting #wildmushrooms

[@TheWickerShireProject]

Thank you so much for taking us with you. So much to learn.

[@MushroomTrail]

It's my pleasure - thank YOU for coming along! Hoping to get lots more content out your way in the days to come. Appreciate you tuning in!

[@jeremygold6331]

Thanks for the walk!

[@MushroomTrail]

My pleasure! Thanks for joining me, and Happy Trails!

[@Mgt44411]

What a wonderful video! Great micro videography! Great information! Great video description! Thanks for sharing, thanks for all the time and effort to make these beautiful videos!🌟

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks so much! Really appreciate the positive feedback - and so glad that you're enjoying the videos! More to come, so stay tuned, and Happy Trails!

[@blairteagarden7990]

Love the details given, it helps the memory to spend time on each one!

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks for the positive feedback! I'll work to keep them coming -- appreciate you tuning in! Happy Trails!

[@user-xq9jt4ti2r]

Amazing footage! I didn't know you could find so much in the winter!

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks so much! Truly blessed to be here in the Pacific Northwest where mushrooms abound ... this year has presented an especially fruitful winter - but there is always something! Appreciate you tuning in - Happy Trails!

[@Danceswithmushrooms]

Love the content. It's been helpful for me in my quest to get more familiar with my fungi friends in the forest. Thanks for the effort that goes into making these videos.

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks so much! Really glad that you're enjoying the content - can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing! Stay tuned - and Happy Trails!

[@theunclejesusshow8260]

​@@MushroomTrailSame here🌠😎👍

[@dcfromthev]

Absolutely loving your channel, the format is just fantastic. If you ever make it down to coastal California I’d love to see coverage of my local area, particularly Point Reyes, my home away from home. Keep up the great work!!!

[@MushroomTrail]

Thank you so much for the positive feedback! Hoping to take some mushroom coverage on the road at some point in the future, so I'll have to keep Point Reyes on the radar - you definitely have some prime mushroom hunting grounds in your backyard! Appreciate you tuning in - Happy Trails!

[@clifford_the_big_red_dragon]

Love the long form videos. Great content.

[@MushroomTrail]

Awesome! Thanks so much for the positive feedback! More to come soon, so stay tuned and Happy Trails!

[@clifford_the_big_red_dragon]

Side note, don't be afraid to be a little repetitive. The only reason I can remember the scientific name for red-belted conk is that I heard it 100+ times on Mushroom Wonderland. Looking forward to more of your videos.

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks - that is an excellent point! I agree that the repetition really make things stick (especially when it comes to those Latin names!) - Mushroom Wonderland has done a great job of getting those Latin names fresher in all of our heads! Really appreciate you tuning in!

[@user-go3eb8ug9x]

Thank you

[@MushroomTrail]

You're welcome! Thanks for tuning in!

[@masamunesword]

Oh hey, this is a cool channel. Thanks for sharing!

[@MushroomTrail]

Hey, thanks! Welcome aboard!

[@cykassol368]

Love the Hydnellums!

[@MushroomTrail]

I agree - Hydnellums sure are beautiful! Which one is your favorite?

[@Kit_Sun]

This was a great walk, I really enjoyed it. I envy you, in Michigan we don't find nearly as many gems! I learned a lot, thank you. 🌻

[@MushroomTrail]

So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for the positive feedback! Happy Trails!

[@theunclejesusshow8260]

I saw some resinous polypore or the bottom of a roadside tree and 2 weeks later it fall. Surprised me because tree didn't appear that bad, but i guess it was

[@MushroomTrail]

Interesting - it's wild how much mushrooms are telling us! I've been shocked at how often I see the Dyer's Polypore at the base of a tree that looks healthy, only to see it come down in the days ahead. Appreciate you tuning in! Happy Trails!

[@goodun2974]

​@@MushroomTrail , Here in Southern New England I've seen some fairly large Dyer's polypores, usually on obviously dead trees, but I saw one last fall that was about 3 feet across, at the base of what appeared to be an otherwise healthy, mature tree.

[@MushroomTrail]

Whoa!! That is absolutely huge! I wouldn't want to be standing under that tree in a wind storm... crazy how often I've been noticing those Dyer's Polypores on seemingly healthy trees only to revisit them and to find them laying sideways... may take a while, but I'm guessing that tree is coming down.

[@davidpickens6916]

The first one on this video, I’ve seen was on cat dung in my yard…. Lol

[@MushroomTrail]

It is really quite the sight, isn't it? Hard to imagine that this one grows from what it is does ... it always makes me marvel! Thanks for tuning in, and Happy Trails!

[@kimprocarione5473]

Old Dyers are great for dying. All stages work, but a lot of people prefer olser. I've been following Mushroom Wonderland for a long time. Your channel showed up after watching him this morning. You are very new, but you sound like you have been around long time. Did you have a different channel? Go by a different name?

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks for tuning in! I've heard that same thing about dyers often often preferring those older fruiting bodies - super interesting! Just getting started out here on the Mushroom Trail -- I actually have never spent any time on any social media platforms, so this is an entirely new adventure. More to come!

[@tanseypenfold2109]

I hate it when people pick wild mushrooms they are important to the well being of the forest. Mushroom should be banned as is wild flowers. There's more than enough commercially grown. Please don't rob the wild spaces.

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I can definitely appreciate where I think you're coming from here, and I share your passion for protecting mycelial networks (and forest ecology in general). It is wild to discover that human interactions with mushrooms very often actually lead to even more abundant fruiting... we are, after all, a part of nature too, and the world of fungi remind us of this in so many ways. Here's to continuing to learn, grow, and steward the Earth in ways that foster deeper and deeper connections. Nothing but love here.

[@trancenaari]

if you are still calling this Hunting you are not enlightened enough, Forging, picking are better words. But also if you have been on a journey you must know, you dont PICK mushrooms, they PICK you.

[@MushroomTrail]

I like forging! 😂 Thanks for tuning in!