Participants in the September 22nd foray explored different parts of the park. We came up with a bigger collection than expected, given the very dry weather
One of the participants collected a piece of chaga, a mushroom/fungus that grows on birch trees. It’s pretty tough, and you need a good knife or axe to collect it. It is regarded as having medicinal properties, and in Russia, in particular, people make a tea out of it and drink it. Ernie, who collected this specimen, has been drinking chaga tea regularly, but adds some fruit juice to make it more palatable. If your curiosity is piqued, there’s an article in Wikipedia about chaga. (The title is Inonotus obliquus.)
Here’s an interesting blue mushroom that was found. Note how it colors the wood on which it grows. I’ll add the name once I have it. [Anna Garenday has identified this as Chlorociboria aeruginacens. If you click on replies at the end of this Sept. 22 post you can see her message. It includes information about the mushroom being used to color wood in wood art in the Middle Ages.] Thanks again to Linda Rasmussen for the photo. I brought my camera but forgot the memory card.
