Group hunts for mushrooms in Ryerson Station State Park
Richard Jacob, president of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, shows a dryad’s saddle mushroom to Kaylee Strope, 11, of Marshall County, W. Va., during a mushroom hike Sunday at Ryerson Station State Park.
A group of 15 stops Sunday along a trail at Ryerson Station State Park to look at for wild mushrooms.
Richard Jacob, left, president of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, teaches about mushrooms Sunday during a mushroom hike through Ryerson Station State Park.
Brian Davis, of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, points out a nonedible mushroom Sunday
Richard Jacob, Second from left. president of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, teaches about mushrooms Sunday, during a mushroom hike through Ryerson Station State Park.
WIND RIDGE – A hunt for wild, edible mushrooms led 15 people from across Southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia on a swampy hike through Ryerson Station State Park on Sunday.
Brian Davis, of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Mushroom Club, led the group, pointing out different mushrooms along the trail.
“It’s really about the moisture and the temperature,” he said to the group.
Davis, of Washington County, is a 10-year member of the Mushroom Club who guides mushroom walks all over the region throughout the warmer seasons.
He said this season hasn’t been great for mushrooms since they need the ground temperature to hit 50 degrees and a lot of rain.
“We’ve had a mild winter, but we’ve also had a cold spring,” he said. “It’s been too dry and too cold.”
The group searched especially for morel mushrooms, which usually come in April and early May. While most mushrooms can be found growing on or around oak trees, Davis said, morels are usually spotted near dead or dying elm trees.
Richard Jacob, president of the Mushroom Club, also attended the hike.
He said most of the edible wild mushrooms are poisonous if eaten raw, but can be eaten cooked.
The Mushroom Club, which consists of about 600 people, has been hosting the walk every year for the past five years, said Alan Johnson, manager of the park.
He said it was started so people can take what they learn from the walk and use the information to collect mushrooms on their own properties.
“The purpose of the walk is to educate people on what species of mushrooms they are, whether they’re edible and how to cook them,” he said.
Bill Martin, of Marshall County, W.Va., took his granddaughter, Kaylee Strope, 11, on the hike for the second year in a row. She found a cluster of dryad’s saddle mushrooms.
“They smell like watermelon,” she said.
Jim White, of Washington, and his 6-year-old daughter, Sydnee, also explored the trail for mushrooms to take home.
“She’s always loved looking for mushrooms,” White said. “And I enjoy hikes like this too.”