Central Pennsylvania Wild Mushroom Club

For those of us who like to both hunt and fish this is a time of plenty.  Several of the fall hunting seasons are getting underway and it's a great time to be on the water as the game fish feed more actively in preparation for the cold winter months ahead.  And when you combine one or both of those sports with mushroom hunting, boy that's nice.  I was out on nearby Raystown Lake the other day fishing for stripers.  It was a most pleasant day and the fall foliage is getting quite scenic to boot.  I was relaxing and thinking that, short of a 40 pound striped bass on the end of the line, things couldn't get much better.  Then I spotted something on shore that demanded closer investigation. 

So I worked my way in to have a look and found a two pound Lion's Mane or Hericium erinaceus growing on an injured tree.  Conveniently, it was facing toward the lake and just within reach, see photos below.  Sweeeeet.  I had found a small H. erinaceus earlier this year, late spring actually, not far from my home.  I noticed about two weeks ago it was fruiting again but didn't know the location of any other places they grow.  Now I have another spot to watch for this mushroom.  The fish weren't in much of a biting mood so I took the opportunity to go ashore and look around a bit.  It wasn't wall to wall mushrooms, but there are still quite a few fruiting in this area.  I found a number of familiar acquaintances, and a few unknown to me.  I'll try to post a few more photos when I get a minute. 

I am going to be out of town attending a wedding this weekend.  But if any other members would like to join me next week or in the coming weeks for a day of fishing or fungi, drop me a note at [email protected].  We can fish and forage around the lake or hit Tuscaroroa, Rothrock, or one of the other local woodlands.  The club meeting is coming up the following weekend and I expect we will enjoy pretty good mushrooming then as well. 

Dave