Spring Foraging PNW - Mushrooms, Wild Edible Plants, & More

Join me foraging wild edibles in the Pacific Northwest. Aside from foraging mushrooms, we'll do deep dives on some of my favorite wild edible plants that I commonly encounter in April out here in the forests of Western Washington. We'll touch on mushroom and plant identification skills, survival / bushcraft skills, ethnobotany, interesting historical medicinal plants, and plenty of other natural curiosities along the way.
Here is some of what you can expect to see in this episode:
00:00 Intro
00:46 Nolanea Genus
02:01 Picipes tubaeformis (aka Polyporus tubaeformis)
03:16 Raccoon Skull
04:27 Coniferous Witches' Butter (Dacrymyces chrysospermus)
05:08 Coyote Skull
07:17 Oyster Mushroom (Pleurotus Genus)
11:11 Spring Orange Peel Fungus (Caloscypha fulgens)
12:19 Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)
14:57 Barred Owl
15:20 Tapioca Slime Mold (Brefeldia maxima)
19:55 More Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus Genus)
21:37 Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum)
25:50 Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa)
28:47 Siberian Miner's Lettuce (Claytonia sibirica)
32:51 Chickweed (Stellaria media)
36:14 Close-Up Chickweed Identification Features
39:29 Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)
42:20 Stinging Nettle (Urticia dioica) - Super Food & Ultimate Bushcraft / Survival Plant for Cordage
49:03 Mica Cap (Coprinellus micaceus)
51:12 Alpine Jelly Cone (Guepiniopsis alpinus) aka Poor Man's Gumdrop
51:33 Deep Purple Bolete (Xerocomellus atropurpureus)
58:55 Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) - edible flowers, Rufous Hummingbirds, & "Salmonberry Bird" - the Swainson's Thrush!
01:01:23 Oregon Grape (Berberis aquifolium) - delicious flowers!
01:02:24 Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor)
01:03:00 Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) aka Osoberry - Cucumber flavored leaf!
A Quick Disclaimer: All Mushroom & Plant Identification/discussion in this videos is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please do not take anything I say as being health or medical advice. These videos are simply meant as a starting point for all of you to dig into a deeper understanding of the natural world around you. I encourage all of you to pick up field guides and continue to learn about the remarkable world in which we live!
Really hope you enjoyed this video and I really appreciate each and every one of you tuning in! Let me know if anything stood out to you in the comments below!
Until next time, Happy Trails!

[@loudlife7648]

Best part of my week is when we are blessed with yet another full length Mushroom Trail video!

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks so much! That means a lot - so glad to be a part of your week! I appreciate you tuning in and can't wait to get the next video out your way!

[@user-pw2ze5xl4p]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge of mushrooms and plants equally 🍃🍄🌿😋❤️

[@MushroomTrail]

My pleasure 😊 Thanks for tuning in!

[@_Listen_to_Solar_Kama_Sutra]

You could make a 10 hour video of you just walking through the forest talking about stuff and I'd watch it all. Your videos are a treat

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks so much - I really appreciate that! These videos are a joy to make. Really glad that you're enjoying them!

[@lotus.b.lazuli2020]

I agree.

[@loudlife7648]

Agreed

[@nevi108]

I agree ❤

[@davidpickens6916]

Very enjoyable. I also live in a forest in Tuolumne County, but it's a much drier forest. We don't have the prolific growth of the variety plants like you do. But almost every time I start watching your video I pause it and I head out to do some hiking through our forest and discover various things I didn't know about our forest. So these videos are inspirational thank you.

[@MushroomTrail]

I love this! In my mind, that's what these videos are all about - piquing our natural curiosity and wonder for the nature that resides right outside our doors! Awesome to hear and thanks so much for sharing - really appreciate you tuning in, and happy to play a role in those forest discoveries!

[@jamesedwardson605]

Keep up the good work...your videos are well done...

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks, will do! Really appreciate you tuning in - and thanks for the kind words!

[@willong1000]

An interesting aside on the use of nettle fibers: When a Roman militia blocked the only path off of Mount Vesuvius in order to besiege the escaped gladiators and other slaves who'd withdrawn to that defensible position during the Third Servile War, the Roman force under Praetor Gaius Claudius Glaber considered the escaped slaves as mere criminal robbers. They were content to starve out the slaves who were led by two Gallic slaves and Spartacus elected from the rebel group. Spartacus's men fashioned ropes, rappelled down cliffs on the mountain's side opposite the militia, then came around from the flanks to annihilate Glaber's force. The Wikipedia article on Battle of Mount Vesuvius generalizes "vines and trees" as among "their use of available local materials." I read a fuller account years ago that specifically cited nettles as the source of fiber that the rebel slaves used to fashion their ropes.

[@MushroomTrail]

Whoa! That is an incredible piece of plant history right there - I hadn't heard that but definitely won't forget it. Thanks so much for sharing! Those nettle fibers are insanely strong ... I could definitely see that being a true account. Fascinating!

[@Schwammerlfee]

I think this species of nettle is also called the Roman Nettle.

[@MushroomTrail]

Very interesting! I love to be learning new things about a plant that I've known so well, and worked with so much, for such a long time ... so much fun!

[@Schwammerlfee]

So happy you included the plants / flowers like that in your video. Very interesting and again lots of similarities to the plants where I live. 😊 Love it! I will visit Oregon late summer and am really eager to explore the forest surroundings now that I learned so much of the PNW due to your videos. Thx!!! By the way, my grandma uses the stinging nettle in salad, on her skin due to health benefits and as a garden fertilizer. I‘ll tell her she can use the fibre as well, maybe she’ll consider it 😅

[@MushroomTrail]

Thanks! So glad you're enjoying the videos and excited to hear that you'll get time to explore the PNW forest! You'll have to let me know if your grandma starts using nettle fiber too - that's really cool that she is already working it into so much of her routine. Such an incredible plant!

[@thnkblu.2206]

First timer.. Subscribed immediately!

[@thnkblu.2206]

Stayed til the end.

[@MushroomTrail]

Welcome aboard! Super glad to have you here - just getting started out here on the Mushroom Trail ... plenty more to come in the days ahead!

[@imsoemo2234]

First time joining. Subbed after the first ten minutes or so. I like the slower pacing and chill vibes, it’s more fitting for this style of channel.

[@MushroomTrail]

Awesome, thank you! And welcome aboard! Just uploaded a new video a second ago ... and already can't wait to get the next one out your way! Happy Trails!

[@OnTrailTime]

I really appreciate your fascinating videos! Thanks for enthusiastically sharing so much information!

[@MushroomTrail]

My pleasure! Thanks so much for the positive feedback - really appreciate you tuning in and can't wait to get the next video out your way!

[@cynthiaconner4930]

wow...those skulls are really interesting to look at!

[@MushroomTrail]

I think so too!

[@chrisbirdful]

I LOVE THESE WALKS!!

[@MushroomTrail]

Awesome! Thanks so much for tuning in - I will definitely work to keep them coming, and I appreciate the feedback!

[@lotus.b.lazuli2020]

A whole hour!? Must have taken ages to upload, but very much worth it, thank you once again! I had to stop mid-way to feed the birds, but I'm back in the zone. So many thoughts on all of this wondrousness.... firstly, I'm glad you brought up the subject of myco-remediation. It's strange how we've taken so long as a species in the age of science and modern tech, to fully figure out just how vital fungi are at dispersing toxins and purifying the environment. It's a core focus in my back garden for sure... (had issues with someone pouring herbicide everywhere before I moved in.... people are not taught to understand even the half-life of some of those chemicals...) Looking at that cup fungus amongst the moss also reminds me of reading about certain Wax Caps having a mycorrhizal relationship with mosses... I wonder if there is a connection there too? If there's one thing I've learned from studying the natural world, it would be that nothing seems to happen by sheer coincidence. Beautiful plants as well, my god! Interesting convergences in respect to springtime ecological niches. That Trillium is kind of like a Wood Anemone, and has a similar life cycle to our native English Bluebell. I was surprised when I learned it can take up to 5 years for a seed to become a flower. This is why all of these ancient habitats are so important. They don't have time to regenerate and adapt as quickly as we might like them to, given that us humans are in such a rush these days! Well, I hope humanity has longer than the cycle of a bluebell left to redeem itself! Cool coyote skull. Is it weird I'd have taken that home? 😂

[@MushroomTrail]

Haha! 😂 Not weird at all that you'd have snagged that coyote skull - I used to have a naturalist shelf that was full of animal skulls that were found while out and about... fascinating how much we can learn from nature's design. And super interesting about the fungi/moss interplay - I'll definitely have to read up on that. One moss-loving species that comes to mind is Rickenella fibula... definitely some kind of interesting relationship going on there. Any word from those starlings yet? Can't wait to hear about the day you go out there to find them speaking fluent English!

[@lotus.b.lazuli2020]

@@MushroomTrail haha I feel less odd now! I'd have loved that shelf I bet! You know, I walk down my local marshes and I find a lot of very interesting fossilised bones. I have a Muntjac deer skull that must be thousands of years old. It's definitely got a vibe about it. You can easily see how animal/bird bones and skulls have always had a sort of totemic quality to them. Speaking of birds... well, I didn't mention it this morning, but those bloody rascals have snapped two new branches trying to grow on my cherry tree! (ironic that it's actually a 'bird cherry' tree - Prunus padus) ...I have a feeling the Corvids are to blame rather than the Starlings though, because it was right above their monkey-nut tray! I've had some beautiful experiences with the birds this week. This morning I walked past someone's garden fence on the way to the shops, and lo and behold, there stood my little Mr. Blackbird and a Mapgpie right next to one another, yapping away at me. It was the funniest and oddest thing at the same time. They can obviously speak the same language and conspired to follow me! The Jackdaw has spent time in the garden with me this week, likewise the sparrows! I've started to talk to the starlings more, it's only a matter of time! Who needs people, eh? 😂 Just googled that Rickenella fibula, so I think I need to update the taxonomy in my book on that one! I've only spotted it a couple of times here, which is surprising considering how often I photograph moss, but I guess they are pretty tiny! Also, forgot to mention that I've made a tea with equal parts dried herb robert and lemon verbena once, and added honey to it for taste. I don't think you're supposed to have much lemon verbena either, so I remember going easy on it. I think we forget how potent nature is without being synthesised sometimes! (ps, I replied yesterday but I couldn't see my own comment on your page!)

[@MushroomTrail]

Just seeing this now - it must have gotten lost in the upload process... but... Whoa! That Muntjac Deer Skull sounds incredible! I just started reading a book on fossils of Washington State called "Spirit Whales & Sloth Tales" ... those ancient stories told by fossils certainly do put things into perspective! Love that the birds are keeping you on your toes! And I need to give Herb Robert a try ... I really have only used it as an insecticide, but it's one of those ones that I see virtually every day out here!

[@lotus.b.lazuli2020]

@@MushroomTrailYeah give it a try! Thousands of years of use have to speak for something! That sounds like a great title for a book too. When I really started to delve into the subjects of archaeology and anthropology, the more I began to see fossils as a kind of 'Gaian fail safe' ...like, James Lovelock's kind of Gaia, with all life doing the regulating of the planet climate via gas exchange. I feel like the earth gave us something solid, etched in her layers so we wouldn't forget where we came from, and what we we are a part of. 💀🌎

[@MushroomTrail]

I agree! And I am also fascinated by archaeology & anthropology -- so much to learn and so little time! This is an incredible world we're living in, isn't it?!?

[@Anthony92891]

Way better than asmr!

[@MushroomTrail]

Haha! Thanks - I appreciate that!😂

[@lifengjin9510]

Oh wow, I also moved from Ohio! Great video as always!

[@MushroomTrail]

Oh wow! That's very cool - quite interesting considering our synchronistic encounter the other day! Did you spend any time mushroom hunting in Hueston Woods by chance?

[@lifengjin9510]

@@MushroomTrail Unfortunately no. I lived in Columbus and usually went to Hocking Hills for mushroom hunting.

[@MushroomTrail]

Nice! Hocking Hills is a fantastic park! I haven't been back to OH in quite some time, but it was a great place to grow up... and I suspect that the Morel season is in full swing out there right about now.

[@nekstprojekt]

Young fresh Mica Caps, dry sautéed and finished with butter and a touch of salt are delicious! Eat at your own risk, at least one mushroom ID apps suggests that Mica Caps are considered toxic. Thanks for the informative videos.

[@MushroomTrail]

Nice! That's probably a really good call on the dry sauté - makes sense to let that moisture do its thing! I'll have to give them more opportunity to grace my plate! Appreciate your input on that - thanks for tuning in!

[@vaughnprecision]

Hello from Olympia.!

[@MushroomTrail]

Greetings! Thanks for tuning in - seeing any interesting mushrooms down there? I love that area!

[@vaughnprecision]

@@MushroomTrail no, nothing yet but I haven’t had the time to really get out either.

[@MushroomTrail]

I bet they'll be waiting for you!

[@alisonrittener5606]

Quick question … I’ve yes yes yes!! I would love to learn more about the stingy nettle and its usage😃

[@MushroomTrail]

Cool! Thanks for letting me know! I'll be sure to work more info on Stinging Nettle usage into upcoming videos👍 It is such an incredible plant!

[@WoodstockG54]

I just subscribed. You done good.🙏

[@MushroomTrail]

Awesome! Thanks so much and welcome aboard!

[@davidpickens6916]

Many many years ago, my kids were young. We were down at a river, kids playing My daughter comes running back with her hands, red and burning. We did not know about stinging nettles, not knowing what to do. We went down to the river and washed her hands which alleviated the pain. And discovered what stinging nettle was all about.

[@MushroomTrail]

Sounds about right! I think that most of us initially meet this plant in shocking ways! 😂

[@chrisbirdful]

I’m down for bushcraft!

[@MushroomTrail]

Awesome! We can certainly work some of that into the content! 👍

[@alisonrittener5606]

Just found you! Love this … and have been finding Morels in my backyard … so have been curious about mushrooms. Where is this beautiful place?!?!

[@MushroomTrail]

Awesome! Welcome aboard - and so cool to be finding morels in the backyard! That is the stuff of dreams!😂 This is low elevation forest in Western WA near the Puget Sound.

[@allisonberryere375]

Do you ever forage the fiddlehead ferns?

[@MushroomTrail]

I am not currently foraging those. Although I have eaten them in the past, and there is definite evidence of historical use, I've steered clear in recent years because there seems to be debate over possible health implications of regular consumption. I've heard stories of livestock poisonings and stomach cancer ... what about you? Are these on your foraging list? Or something you avoid?

[@OneQ123]

Spring time is fun time! Does the Neoboletus erythropus fruit where you live? It actually is a fantastic edible blue bruising mushroom. 🍄‍🟫

[@MushroomTrail]

That is wild - here in PNW we generally steer people away from Neoboletus and other red-pored boletes. I know David Arora writes about this as one to avoid (or at least to treat as suspect) due to poorly understood chemistry and reports of it making people sick in our region. Curious to know, where are you located?

[@OneQ123]

@@MushroomTrail There are some blue bruising mushrooms that are not recommended, some even suspicious being able to cause cancer. But this one, if well cooked, isn’t poisoning. I’m from Switzerland. ✌️

[@MushroomTrail]

Very cool! I've heard of people eating those, but I've also heard of people getting sick on them here in the US. Super interesting though! They are kind of rare in my area. I wonder if DNA sequencing will reveal our species to be different from those found in Europe.