Sometimes you don’t have to walk very far for a really fulfilling hike. In the right habitat at the right time of year in the Eaton Canyon Natural Area, an unassuming stretch of ground can be home to a wide diversity of life. This was our experience in early February when Mickey Long and I had the opportunity to play host to citizen scientist Alan Rockefeller, mycologist, taxonomist and fungi identification expert.
Alan asked if it was possible to do a fungal survey of the park. This would entail photographing and annotating what he found, and collecting some specimens for genetic analysis. Oh, and a lot of time sitting on damp ground for science. Approved!
Our journey of discovery began on the path near the Outdoor Classroom. The shaded, well-irrigated ground was littered with oak and sycamore leaves. I didn't see anything remotely resembling a mushroom.
Alan Rockefeller with a Clitocybe brunneocephla specimen found above Coyote Canyon. Photo by Susan Hopkins
Just as I was thinking we should move on, Alan stepped off the path. He reached down and collected our first fungi of the day, a Lactarius rufulus. Known as Rufous Candy Caps, they have a slightly sweet odor resembling maple syrup. Once my eyes knew what to look for, I could see that they were scattered throughout the leaf litter.
Lactarius rufulus, Rufous Candy Caps. Photo by Alan Rockefeller
When we encountered a species of fungi, Alan would gather a selection and arrange them for photographs. Out would come his trusty Nikon mounted on a lay-flat tripod, which nearly leveled the camera’s macro lens with the mushrooms. Alan took digital photographs then collected and packaged interesting specimens for DNA sequencing.
Alan Rockefeller documenting fungi near the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. Photo by Mickey Long
A wide variety of mushrooms revealed themselves in the oak duff. We found three different types of Helvella mushrooms in this area: H. solitaria, H. dryophila (Oak-loving Elfin Saddle), and H. compressa. Mushrooms in the genus Helvella have pressurized asci, or spore sacks, that release pressure and shoot-out spores in a smoke-like puff when a light breeze is detected.
The two hours it took to get as far down the path as the Nature Center passed in a flash. On our hundred-foot hike we discovered more than ten different mushroom species. In all it took seven hours to explore a small fraction of the park, where we documented over 25 unique species of fungi.
It is an outing like this that reminds me of the natural treasures to be found in Eaton Canyon if you take your time, slow down and really look.
Susan Hopkins sitting in the duff. Photo by Mickey Long
Eaton Canyon Natural Area is a Los Angeles County Park, and visitors are asked not to pick mushrooms just as they are asked to not disturb plants or wildlife. The fungi collected for this survey were sampled with permission for scientific research. For those interested in mushroom foraging elsewhere, there are a few important points to remember. Never eat a mushroom without being 100 percent certain what it is, and always research toxic lookalikes. Follow the popular saying, “When in doubt, throw it out.”
Links:
For Alan Rockefeller’s biography, please visit: www.inaturalist.org/people/alan_rockefeller
To see more of the mushrooms and fungi discovered during our survey in Eaton Canyon, please visit: tinyurl.com/1p2r9vgt
To see a stop-motion video of Helvella compressa ejecting spores, please visit: www.squirrelbait.us/the-eaton-canyon-project