That’s right. Mushrooms don’t take the winter off, and neither should you!
Plenty of fungal species are still dancing to that special tune of connection and decomposition — even in the cold weeks of January. And if you thought that the only mushrooms hanging around this time of year were those dried up polypores and humdrum crust fungi blanketing broken twigs… well, then… hm, you’re mostly right.
But wait, I don’t mean that entirely.
You see, perhaps upon first glance it appears that the only fungi inhabiting the winter woods are the shelf and crust fungi — those species that any mushroom hunter can find year round… no matter the month, no matter the weather.
But those aren’t the only fungi spending quality time in our winter forests. If you look closely, and if you time it perfectly, you’ll often discover plenty of fascinating mushrooms that pride themselves on being cold tolerant. Yes, this includes polypores and crust fungi, but it also includes edible, medicinal, and toxic species.
I recently spent time exploring the woods in search of winter mushrooms and thought I’d take my camera along to document my discoveries. If you’re interested in seeing what a good ol’ mid-January mushroom hunt in Pennsylvania looks like, check out the brand new video!