Mushrooms!

Throughout the summer, residents may have stumbled across many different mushrooms, particularly the giant puff balls that are so common in the grass fields around the lake.  Cooler weather of Fall provides the ideal conditions for the growth spurt we are experiencing now.  Many of the mushrooms that grow in our yards and nearby forest are edible, even considered “choice” for consumption, but extreme caution is always advised.  While many residents admit to enjoying the pastime of “mushroom hunting”, it is the squirrels that live among us which seem to collect the most mushrooms.  Squirrels will harvest mushrooms from both under and above the ground, lug them up a tree and leave them on a branch to dry for later consumption.  Aha, that explains all those mushrooms in the trees! Still unexplained are the “fairy rings” of mushrooms that are growing on the neighbourhood’s groomed lawns. Even an internet search simply provides theories on the biology of why the circles are formed but …why not considered them good luck and be glad you have found them, like a four-leafed clover?