What’s Out There: On the Hunt for Mushrooms

Text and Photos By Amy Hoffman

On a late summer day, when the mosquitoes had left the woods, I walked to John’s Glen. It is peaceful there, and I never know what I’m going to find. In all the time I’ve walked to John’s Glen, I’ve only seen a moose once; but I’ve never been disappointed in what I’ve seen or experienced. In just two outings, I took dozens of photos of mushrooms, berries, and little critters in the Glen.

This year was a bountiful year for mushrooms and I learned the skill of “mushrooming” (looking for mushrooms). The mushrooms in John’s Glen grew in amazing shapes and wonderful colors. I could see the bites from chipmunks and mice that had munched some of them. Eastman’s resident expert, Maynard Wheeler, who leads an annual mushroom “hunt” on Eastman’s grounds, helped me identify some of them.

I hope that you can find time to walk in John’s Glen off Clearwater Drive after the cross-country ski season ends and warmer weather returns. Keep your eyes peeled to look for signs of little critters like toads, dragonflies, butterflies, and, of course, mushrooms.

Note: When the trails are groomed for cross-country skiing, John’s Glen is closed to walkers. Please stay off the trails unless you are on skis or snowshoes; footprints create dangerous conditions for skiers.