Above average regional rainfall this season has brought out mushrooms and other fungi in abundance across the landscape. The diversity of mushrooms that have been found on the Three Waters Reserve is astounding! The vast emergence tells a larger story than merely: “it has been a wet summer here in Southern Wisconsin.”
During trail hikes on the Reserve this summer and fall, mushroom enthusiasts began taking note of the unusual mushrooms that started showing up. Specific locations in Green or Rock county are the only documented areas where some of these unusual mushrooms can reliably be found. The striking colors of these mushrooms stand out vividly against the natural landscape. A few of these standout species include: the Cinnabar mushroom, the Milk Cap mushroom, and the Golden Chanterelle.
Photos: Pictured Left: The Cinnabar mushroom: A small, bright red mushroom that is also edible. Pictured Right: The Milk Cap mushroom: This white mushroom is ivory white in color, depressed in the center and exudes a white milky sap when bruised. It stands out against the background of dark olive green sedges and grasses. Photo Credit: Craig Ellefson
One of the most famous edible mushrooms is the striking golden chanterelle. This golden yellow mushroom is beautiful in appearance and has a fragrance sweet like candy. One of the most coveted culinary ingredients, the growing conditions for this mushroom have yet to be replicated commercially making them extremely rare and expensive. Chefs wishing to use this ingredient must forage them naturally in nearby forests. All golden chanterelle mushrooms have one important trait in common—they have ancient relationships with the roots of oak trees going back millions of years known as mycorrhizae. The Cinnabar, Milk Cap, Golden Chanterelle, and Chicken of the Woods are also mycorrhizal fungi. Mysterious and complex, the full extent of mycorrhizal fungi may never be understood, but nonetheless plays an important role in these complex ecosystems.
Mycorrhizae play an important role in ecological balance. The development of this symbiotic relationship is paramount to essential nutrient transfer that helps sustain plant well being. The symbiotic relationship formed by mycorrhizae occurs within the root systems of different plants. At the Reserve, they are bonded in the oak savanna with the hardwood oak tree root systems. These relationships have been around for over 400 million years providing transfer of nutrients, communication, and disease prevention for the involved species.
Photos: Pictured Left: The Golden Chanterelle mushroom: With colors ranging from a striking burnt orange to a yellow gold cap, pictured here perched on a log. Pictured Right: Chicken of the Woods mushroom: Pictured here growing on a downed tree. This mushroom is a thick and fleshy bracket fungus with bands of bright yellow and orange. Chicken of the Woods is sought after by foragers due to its crumbly texture and taste that is reminiscent of dishes such as chicken, lobster, or crab. Photo Credit: Craig Ellefson
Onsite at Three Waters Reserve, conservation is the focus. Harvesting of these mushrooms is not encouraged because it would take only a few foragers to deplete the slowly recovering populations. Through restoration efforts, the reintroduction of fire to the land has been integral to reinvigoration of the ecosystem. The utilization of prescribed burning has allowed the former golf course lawn to transform into a beautiful sedge, native grass, and wildflower haven. All of these ecological transformations encourage mushrooms living within the root systems of plants to reemerge.
Photo: A prescribed burn through the understory of the oak savanna onsite at Three Waters Reserve Photo Credit: Sandy Quinn
At the start of this restoration process, we considered exploring existing soil conditions to determine what type of plant life they may have the potential to support. Culturing soil samples from the Reserve to determine seed bank viability was an important step in our restoration process. This allowed us to determine the potential plant life that could rebound after prescribed burns but also determine what species would need to be supplemented onsite. Seed bank viability assessment is an essential tool to allow land to go back to nature. In 2018, several members of Three Waters Reserve collected test tube sized soil samples from a wide variety of regions throughout Southern Wisconsin comprising both natural areas and working land sites. Examples of these sites include: oak savannas, prairies, wetlands, forests, and agriculture croplands in proximity to natural areas.
The obtained soil samples were analyzed for all life (microbial and otherwise) by extracting DNA from the soil. Extracts from each location were then run through a DNA sequencer which can read the base molecules comprising DNA strands. The results from these tests were vast and astounding. In just a pin-head sized sample of soil, nearly 600-900 bacterial species and 150-300 fungal species were discovered. While a portion of these results were not surprising, some were new and developing knowledge.
Farm fields, organic and conventionally managed, had some of the highest numbers of bacterial species but some of the lowest population quantities. It was also noted that they had lower numbers of fungal species in general. These observations are not surprising because mushroom hunters do not look in farm fields to find mushrooms, they go to the woodlands, which is where we saw the increased diversity in fungal DNA. In the neighboring prairie, wetland, savanna, and forested areas, there were remnants of the total number of species of both bacteria and fungi ranging from 700 to over 1000.
Corn stalks and leaves are some of the best examples of green vegetation produced by farm fields. To break down the dead litter that is left annually after crops are harvested, bacteria must get to work. This green vegetation draws in large swarms of only a few species of bacteria to execute the decomposition process. Farmers witness large bacterial colonies at work when the snow cover fades and much of the roughage remaining after fall harvest is gone. The work of soil bacteria is omni-present.
Photo: The oak savanna at the Reserve freshly blanketed in snow. What fungal work is happening beneath the snow cover? Only springtime will tell. Photo credit: Sandy Quinn
In contrast, fungi break down more durable plant materials such as wood, branches, roots, tree stumps, and even dead or dying trees as their food source. In fact, many fungi species attack and decompose fallen leaves over the winter under the blanket of snow. By lifting a bundle of moist decomposing leaves, one can often find a white thread-like matrix. This white stringy material is the mycelium, or thick mushroom roots, and will fan out in a wide range both above and below ground.
Although new territory at the Reserve, the response of fungi largely represents land restoration efforts. Fungi likely play an important role in the regeneration of rare plants and even promote oak seedling survival. As this year’s mushroom season winds to a close, it is a chance to learn from the mushrooms and take their warning in stride: the absence of mushrooms may signal ecological distress. If mushrooms cannot be found on a piece of land, it may mean that they have been reduced to relatively small populations or that triggering events such as heavy rainfall, drought, or fire have not occurred yet to trigger their appearance. There is a lot that can be learned about the response of fungi and its role in ecological restoration. Stay on the lookout for mushrooms on the ground and use their presence to encourage learning. At the reserve, we are always looking to meet fellow mushroom enthusiasts. If you desire to go mushroom hunting, please reach out. Equipment necessary for this task simply includes a brown paper bag and a knife to cut the mushrooms without destroying the soil or wood on which they are growing.
Photo: Morel mushroom: An extremely distinct mushroom, with a cone-shaped cap, hollow inside, and often accompanied by a nutty earthy taste. Morel peeking through the debris in the understory following a winter burn. Photo Credit: Craig Ellefson