Fungi Friday: An Introduction
A foraged morel bounty from April 2021.
By Maureen Fellinger
The feelings of isolation and fear disappeared when I was scanning the forest floor for fungi. As businesses and restaurants had to close their doors and people were spending their time quarantined inside, I kept myself occupied by exploring local trails and forests. I found an unexpected positive outcome from the Covid-19 pandemic: a deep and curious interest in the vast world of mushrooms.
Prior to 2020, I did not have any interest in mushrooms. I grew up on a small farm in Clermont County, and I never batted an eye at the little brown mushrooms I would see occasionally in our field. As far as my diet, if I saw an item that included mushrooms, I probably would not have ordered it.
My fascination for mushrooms blossomed from a rather negative experience. In January 2020, I moved to Dayton from Cincinnati to be with my partner, Adam. The beginning of this new chapter in my life included a new job in the field of developmental disabilities as well as the search for our first home. My life was moving in such an exciting, beautiful direction... and then the Covid-19 hit the United States. In March, I had unfortunately lost my job due to funding and the pandemic. Due to this loss, Adam and I decided to put our home buying process on hold.
My mental health was plummeting. The unknowns of the virus had me staying indoors almost 24/7. When Adam would leave for work, I could barely get out of bed. The heaviness of what the world was experiencing was weighing heavy on my heart. I missed simple experiences like going to a movie theatre or a concert. As supportive as my partner was, I truly missed being around my friends and my family. I missed normalcy.
On a delightfully warm day in April, Adam suggested that we go to a local park to search for morel mushrooms. He showed me some photo of morels that only slightly triggered my trypophobia, and he explained the type of environment that they often appeared in. South facing slopes. Oak, elm, and ash trees. Well drained, sandy soils. We spent a few hours in a dense forest area, ducking under branches, searching for the elusive morel. I was not even paying much attention to the specific trees I was supposed to be looking for; I was simply enjoying the feeling of exploring the forest environment. Moving around, close to the ground made me feel a childlike enchantment and wonder. Being surrounded by nature caused me to completely forget the chaos and pain caused by a global virus. We found zero morel mushrooms that day, but I left the woods with a new sense of fulfillment and joy that I had not felt in months.
The next day, when Adam left for work in the morning, I returned to the woods. As a child, I was always determined to find Waldo in a Where's Waldo book, and this zest for searching had humorously returned to me as an adult, in the form of morels. The secret spot that Adam had showed me yesterday didn’t appear to be producing any fungi, so I explored deeper into the woods, carefully traversing down large hills and crossing over gentle streams. My eyes were becoming exhausted from scanning the forest floor, but I was so blissfully lost in nature that I could have easily stayed in that space for hours.
I found four morel mushrooms that day, but I had felt like I had discovered the lost city of Atlantis. Those four little morels felt incredibly precious to me. I was instantly hooked. My addiction developed over time—as I continued to forage morels, I began noticing other fungi around me. The curiosity spread as I began to learn about other easily identifiable edible mushrooms I often came across in the woods—from pheasant back, to oyster, to wood-ear, etc. Outside of the woods, I was very focused on this incredible world of fungi. I was creating spore prints at home, which was a very satisfying experience as my bachelor's degree is in Fine Art. I bought mushroom guides and started connecting with other fungi enthusiasts online. I started to look forward to rainy forecasts because I couldn’t wait to see what would emerge in the forest the following day. My friends started sending me photos of mushrooms they found in their yard in hopes that I could help them identify the fungus.
Escaping into the vast kingdom of fungi gave me a refreshing sense of purpose, passion, and happiness. Mushroom hunting continues to reminds me to slow down and express gratitude for small, quiet moments in life. The past two years of self-taught fungi exploration has granted me a deeper connection to nature, which in turn has given me a deeper sense of self.
Check in every other week for Fungi Friday blog posts where I will share my musings, photos, and observations of my experiences in the world of mushrooms!
*The writer is Agraria’s Education Administrator.