Above: Last fall, attendees took a close look at mushrooms growing on a branch. The fungi expert who led that event, will lead another walk this fall. (images edited from contributed photo)
The Southborough Open Land Foundation Next invites the public to learn about fungi during a 2 hour guided “Mushroom Walk and Talk” next month, “Back by popular demand”.
The walk will take place at Beals Preserve on Halloween morning. (That may feel appropriate to any “The Last of Us” fans that are a bit creeped out by fungi!)
In recognition of the timing, SOLF notes, “Although we will concentrate on fungi, costumes are welcome.”
Last year’s walk included the promise that Kranz’ talk would ” help prepare participants for safe, exciting forages of their own.”
The event attendance will again be limited to the first 30 people to show up. Below are more details from SOLF’s announcement:
The walk will be led by “mushroom enthusiast” Jonathan Kranz, a MA Audubon Certified Field Naturalist and vice president of North America’s oldest mushroom organization, the Boston Mycological Club. During the walk, participants will learn about “the basics of mushroom habitat, identification, and ecology. You can read about Jonathan Kranz at https://www.kranzcom.com/mushroom-walks-and-talks/.
The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 31 from 10:00 am to noon. Participants are instructed to meet up at 9:45 am. Although there isn’t pre-registration, the opportunity will be limited to the first 30 participants that show up that morning.
The group will gather at the kiosk across the bridge from Beals Preserve Main Street Field. The parking area on Main Street (Route 30) is closed for remediation, but there is parking on the very wide shoulder, across the street at the corner of Northborough Road and Main Street, as well at the Chestnut Hill Farm hiking parking lot on nearby Chestnut Hill Road. For directions, put “Beals Preserve Main Street Field Parking” into any map application.
